Baby Turtles Stomaches Filled With Plastic 🐢

According to a new study done by a group of Australian scientists baby sea turtles are vulnerable to the harmful effects of plastic pollution. They have realised that many different animals in the ocean are consuming plastics. There is no known overall effects of plastic on ocean animals. Some plastics can pass harmlessly through an animal's digestive system but it can eventually accumulate and become  toxic to the animal. In their research, they examined data from 1,000 dead turtles. They found that baby turtles are the most susceptible to consuming plastics and styrofoam. Turtles play vital roles in shaping the global ecosystem.

                                  Photo source: Troy Mayne https://bit.ly/2HrU4un       

                               

I have always loved turtles since I was little because of the movie Finding Nemo. Also when I was young I visited the Turtle Village Trust and was amazed by how they would lay their eggs. I've always found them interesting and majestic creatures. It just makes me sad to see that our pollution of plastics is causing so much destruction to a species. We don't really think much when we throw a plastic bottle into a river and the effects that it has on so many animal. The next time you want to throw a plastic container in a river think about the baby turtles.