World Turtle News, 04/12/2019

FGCU professor heads groundbreaking tortoise research at Delnor-Wiggins

Jacob Wozny, who seems to possess a natural instinct for discovering creatures hidden in the wild, spots a large male gopher tortoise obscured by brush in the dunes of Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park.

The Florida Gulf Coast University senior ambles through shrubs, picks up the tortoise, and carries it over to his professor, Dr. Phillip

Allman, and two other FGCU students, Jessica Bloodgood and Melissa Smith. They measure and weigh the tortoise and use GPS data to pinpoint the location where Mr. Wozny found him. Then Dr. Allman cuts tiny notches into the lower part of the tortoiseโ€™s hard top shell.

โ€œWelcome to the study,โ€ Dr. Allman, an FGCU associate professor of organismal biology, tells the tortoise, shortly after christening him with a new name, or identity: โ€œ2R, 8R, 10R.โ€ The name is based on the points on the shell where Dr. Allman made the incisions.

Click the link to read more about the research…

Turtle News From Around the World

Conservation

India:- Indian turtles disappearing due to international illegal trade

Crime & Punishment

UK:- Two turtles abandoned at GSPCA

Health & Medical

South Africa:- Influx of turtle hatchlings on Cape beaches (Video)

USA:- Pebbles, a Critically Endangered Sea Turtle Released After Swallowing Hook (Video)

Israel:- Watch the beauty of nature as Israel returns sea turtle to the sea (Video)

Up and coming events

USA:- Metchosin Earth Day event celebrates western painted turtles, April 14th

USA:- North American Box Turtle Conservation Committee Meeting, May 17-19

TheTurtleRoom is looking for several individuals passionate about turtle conservation to join our volunteer staff team in a variety of specific roles! Two of these openings relate directly to this World Turtle News blog feature. We also have several other opportunities available for a variety of talents. Please check out this page for more details on each position, the requirements, and responsibilities. We look forward to hearing from you.

Question or Concerns? Want to submit an article to get posted? Email us at [email protected].

Photo from Louis Berney / Florida Weekly.

WTN Editor

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Shopping Cart
Scroll to Top