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Here are 25 lessons I learned about sea turtles

1. There are 7 species of Pawikans in the whole world. Philippines has five, namely Green
Sea, Hawksbill, Olive Ridley, Loggerhead and Leatherback turtle. The other two are the flatback
turtle and Kemps Ridley turtle.

2. There is a difference between a pawikan (sea turtles) and


a pagong (tortoise). Turtles have four flippers (for swimming) while tortoise has four legs (for
walking, duh?).
3. You CANT get a pawikan from another place to repopulate a certain place because
they will always go back to their birth Talk about loyalty.
4. Pawikans have a good sense of smell. The dont have a sense of hearing and so rally
greatly on their superb instinct. They dont like the smell of cigarette and are really disturbed
when they happen to smell it. Now, think about this when you flick that cigarette butt to the
shore or light that smoke on the shore.
5. Pawikans dont need dentists coz dont have teeth. They use they powerful snout to
tear down or crush their food. Actually their first activity is to tear down the shell they are in.
6. Pawikans do make a weeping sound during courtship, mating and laying eggs. They also
make that sound when they are being killed.
7. Sex is dependent on temperature of sand. 29C and up would produce female hatchlings,
29C below would be male.
8. Turtle eggs looks like pingpong balls, only soft. (According to a former turtle egg-eater,
they really taste good.) Please dont eat or even taste a turtle egg.
9. Hatchlings/ baby turtles will emerge from the nest after about 40-75 days.

10. Hatchlings should be released immediately after emergence from the nest. Release
is usually done after sunset of before sunrise to minimize threat. If immediate release is not
possible, do not put the hatchlings in a container with water. They should be placed in a
container cushioned with soft sand and covered with a damp cloth and kept in a cool, dark, quiet
and safe place.
11. One unique feature is imprinting. As soon as the hatchlings crawl on the beach they
somehow memorize the sand where they crawled on. If the turtle is female, she will return to the
same beach when it is time to nesting. This should make resort developers to think twice on
building that damn building by the beach.
12. Related to #9. There is this swimming frenzy wherein they taste the water upon
entering the sea thereby creating a unique memory of the chemical fingerprint of their nesting
waters which they use to find their way back home 25-50 years later. Males after tasting the
water will not return to the shore again.This should make beach resort owners to think twice
when applying for foreshore lease agreement.
13. Hatchlings feed on planktons. Yes, they have the same food need with the gentle giantswhalesharks.
14. A group of hatchlings only have 1% or less survival rate. Meaning for 100 hatchlings,
only 1 or none will survive.
15. Pawikans have lost years from ages 5-20. Scientists dont exactly know where they
go. Of course, they are just out their on the ocean- feeding on jellyfish, sponges, soft corals,
shells and crustaceans or they become food for larger predators like sharks.
16. By ages 30-50 they are now ready for courtship and mating. This happens near the
nesting site. Which is where the female turtle was hatched. Now, unless youre parents are
pawikans dont listen when they tell you that you can marry by age 50.
17. They enter a state of nirvana when laying eggs. A female pawikan will nest 3-5 times
per nesting period, laying around 90-120 eggs with 2-5 years interval after the next nesting
period. Thats atleast 500 eggs in a matter of 5 years.
18. Among the threats of pawikans are- loss of habitat due to coastal development or
building of beach resorts and degradation of natural habitat by erosion or siltation
because of poor mountain management like illegal logging or mining, destruction of
coral reefs and sea grass beds and of course destructive fishing methods. They are
continually threatened when we buy products like turtle eggs, meat and guitar made
by carapace.
19. Sea turtles can live 60-120 years. And unlike humans, the more they mature, the more
beautiful they become.
20. Sea turtles poop serve as fertilizer for seagrass beds. These seagrass beds are
needed by fishes and seacow or dugong. See, they are interconnected.
21. Turtles help in the propagation of corals too. They clean it and even replant them.
22. Marine Turtles in the Philippines can easily be identified by their carapace and
head.

23. Their predators include crabs, birds, sharks, dogs, cats, ants, sea eagle, big fishes
and of course humans.
24. Humans are the worst threat to marine turtles. Luckily, humans are the best ones to
protect and nurture them. Now choose where to stand.
25. If we stop protecting them and their habitat, our grandkids might never see them
again live. A live turtle is worth more than a dead one.
TURTLE POWER
The Green sea turtle, scientific Chelonia mydas, is a large sea turtle of the
family Cheloniidae, locally known as pawikan. The pawikan has been around since 200 million
years ago, making it the oldest living reptile in the world. An adult female returns to nest
after 20-30 years at the same spot where it hatched. The coasts of Morong and Bagac in Bataan,
and San Antonio in Zambales are known nesting sites for the pawikan. Females nest here from
August to December, laying up to 100 eggs in a single clutch, of which only 10 will survive.
Pawikan
One of the five marine turtles or pawikan found in the Philippines is the hawksbill turtle which
is known scientifically as Eretmochelys imbricata and locally as the sisikan or pawikan. It is found
throughout the Philippine archipelago but it is commonly found in the lakes and waters near the
Bicol region and the seas surrounding the islands of Mindoro, Samar and Palawan. Its natural
habitat is the coral reefs which serve as nesting areas. Coral reefs are rich sources of food from
which the hawksbill turtle gets its food. Its main diet consists of sponges, anemones and
invertebrates.
The pawikan or hawksbill turtle has a number of unique physical characteristics. It has a
mouth which resembles the sharp beak of a bird, and this is the reason why it is called the
hawksbill turtle. It has an elongated head and a somewhat sharp facial look. The combination of
these characteristics gives the hawksbill turtle a bird-like appearance. It has a beautiful and
sturdy shell structure called the carapace, which is popularly known as the tortoise shell. The
dorsal portion of the carapace is made of horny materials which form into patterns of distinct
brown plates called scutes. The underside portion of the carapace is made of the same materials
but it has a yellowish color. It is this attractive carapace that has been exploited by humans for
commercial purposes.
This beautiful sea creature is one of the critically endangered species in the world. It is listed
in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
Appendix I. This means the hawksbill turtle is a protected species under national and
international laws, and commercial trading of hawksbill turtle is prohibited.
Profile of the Pawikan or Hawksbill Turtle
Conservation Status
Critically endangered; Listed in CITES Appendix I
Names
Scientific Name: Eretmochelys imbricata

English Name / Common Name: Hawksbill turtle


Local Name: Pawikan, karahan, sisikan, payukan
Scientific Classification
Class : Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order : Testudinata
Family : Cheloniidae
Type of Animal
A cold-blooded animal belonging to the
reptiles or class reptilia which includes snakes
and crocodiles
Physical Characteristics
Length: Approximately 3 feet
Weight: Ranges from 176 - 270 pounds; Average Weight: 176 pounds
Carapace Length: Ranges from 2 1/2 feet
to 3 feet
Range
Found throughout the Philippine archipelago;
Commonly found in the Bicol region, the
Visayas (Antique, Cebu, Leyte, Mindoro, Samar)
and Palawan
Habitat
Coral reefs of the Philippines;
Coral reefs of the world
Threat
Human exploitation for commercial purposes;
marine pollution (debris dumped into the sea by
humans); beach development; shoreline erosion;
sharks as predators

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