Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
In an average nesting season, four and a half thousand Green turtle eggs are hatched
on islands off the east coast of Australia;
most will not survive.
In the Mediterranean they are already critically endangered.
They have been taken by natural predators, killed by pollution
or destroyed by long line and net fishing.
These turtles, hatched in a lab from eggs laid on Queensland's Heron Island,
are being studied in case the time comes when the green turtles may need
to be artificially incubated to keep them thriving.
And Rosanna Ryan, part of the CSIRO student research scheme,
is helping to collate data for the study.
It takes around 60 days for the Green turtle eggs to hatch.
But in the laboratory it was discovered that temperature determines the length
of incubation and whether mostly males or females are born.
Finding the right temperature could also see the turtles gaining greater energy
before being hatched
which could give them a better chance of survival.
Rosanna Ryan - "I found it really interesting
and it's been good to learn a bit about the turtles and have some experience working with all the equipment.
I'm certainly interested in studying science at university
and I'd also like to do a bit of field work as well
and maybe go to Heron Island."
The survival of these turtles in the lab
may one day help the whole species survive in the wild.