Sea turtles love to eat jellyfish as a part of their diet. Unfortunately, plastic bags are a look alike of the jellyfish and sea turtles can mistake them for food. If a sea turtle ingests a plastic bag it can lead to sickness and possibly death. It is so important that we reduce our use by choosing to bring in our own reusable bags or by requesting paper bags.
Check out this children's story book created by a PhD student from the University of Exeter: https://issuu.com/universityofexeter/docs/turtleplasticjellyfish It is so important to create media for all ages to educate to the future of conservation. Also, see below for a video created by the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST) on sea turtles and plastic bags: https://vimeo.com/142659710 That leatherback sea turtle swimming through the jellyfish was so beautiful but reading about those plastic bags was not. Despite the enormous size of the leatherback, the jellyfish is their primary food source. Let's reduce our use for our sea turtles!
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Leah SchwartzentruberSea Turtle Biologist Archives
September 2023
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