Motherly voices lure hatchling turtles from their nest in adorable video footage
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In the heart of south Brazil, the hatchlings of the giant Amazon River turtle are facing unprecedented challenges. These adorable creatures, the focus of the BBC series "Parenthood," are battling against the effects of climate change as they make their way to the water.
Scientists have been studying the communication between these turtles for over a decade and have discovered that the mothers likely call out to their hatchlings to guide them to the water. However, the timing of their birth has become increasingly difficult to predict due to climate change.
Before they can escape the sand, the hatchlings must absorb part of their yolk sac, which takes about three days after breaking through the shell. But early rains in the past few years have drowned the majority of the year's hatchlings. It is believed that the adorable squeaking in the footage could be hatchlings agreeing to emerge at the same time so that they can help to dig each other out.
Mother turtles lay their eggs two to three months ahead of the rainy season, allowing enough time for the sand above the eggs to harden into a protective crust. But with the rains coming earlier, the hatchlings are often left in a race against time to dig themselves out before the floods come. If they haven't done so before the floods come, they drown.
The specific wildlife in focus are the hatchlings of the giant Amazon River turtle, a species that displays post-hatch parental care, with the mothers waiting for their hatchlings to make it safely to the water. Each mother lays almost 100 eggs at 1m (3.2ft) below the surface. Despite the dangers of the rain, two million hatchlings successfully clamber towards their mothers each year.
Climate change poses a significant threat to the life cycles of the giant Amazon River turtles. The rains, which used to come only once every 20 years, have become more frequent in recent years. Warmer air holds more moisture, leading to more unpredictable and intense rainfall events.
The changes in water levels, nesting conditions, and food availability caused by climate change and deforestation collectively disrupt their life cycles and reduce survival rates. Rising temperatures and reductions in rainfall in the Amazon basin have led to droughts and changes in water cycles, impacting turtles by reducing the availability of suitable aquatic habitats and nesting beaches. Loss of vegetation cover due to agriculture, oil exploration, and infrastructure development leads to sedimentation in rivers that slows flow and transforms habitats, degrading critical nesting and feeding areas that giant Amazon River turtles rely on.
While direct seismic noise and fishing pressures are more documented for turtles along the Amazon coast, the overall increase in human activity exacerbated by environmental stressors contributes to wildlife mortality and disorientation, affecting turtles’ survival.
Elisabeth Oakham, a producer and director with a passion for environmental storytelling and natural history, is the creator of the 5th episode of The Green Planet and the director of the BBC series Parenthood. Conservation efforts must address broader ecosystem protection, including controlling deforestation and maintaining natural hydrological cycles, to mitigate these impacts.
[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-34644-8 [2] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-73766-2
- Nature's delicate balance is disrupted as climate change influences the life cycles of the giant Amazon River turtle, a species under the spotlight in Elisabeth Oakham's BBC series "Parenthood."
- These hatchlings, now faced with unprecedented challenges, must navigate the Earth's shifting conditions as they journey towards the water, their health and well-being intertwined with the climate.
- Wildlife researchers and scientists are diligently studying the communication patterns and response to climate change among the Amazon River turtles, aiming to uncover insights that will inform environmental conservation and sustainable practices.
- As climate change brings unpredictable and intense rainfall events to the Amazon region, the hatchlings face a race against time to dig themselves out before the floods come, a challenge that endangers their survival and challenges the continuity of the species.
- Environmental science and research highlight the profound impact of climate change on the ecosystem, from alterations in water levels and nesting conditions to reduced food availability and survival rates for the giant Amazon River turtles.
- To combat these challenges and protect the future of the giant Amazon River turtles, efforts must be made to control deforestation, maintain natural hydrological cycles, and address broader ecosystem protection, becoming a critical component of health-and-wellness initiatives and climate change mitigation strategies.
