Out of the Beach and Under the Sea

Hello there, dear readers! You may start seeing how wonderful and colorful the world of the pawikan is. 

Still can't see it? OK... then let's talk about the pawikan more. First off, let us talk about the effects of global warming on our dear pawikan. But, what is global warming? It is sorta self-explanatory. Global warming refers to a continuing rise in the average temperature of Earth's climate system. 

Global warming has a big impact and effect on marine turtles. The melting of polar caps causes the sea level to rise, which results in smaller beaches. Smaller beaches means less nesting habitat for the sea turtle. Climate change also means more frequent and severe storms which cause beach erosion and floods in the sea turtle's nest. 

As I said before, temperature is what determines a hatchling's gender and when it will hatch. With global warming, the sand's temperature will rise, resulting in decreased hatching rates or complete nest failure. Hotter sand temperatures affects the hatchling's natural sex ratios.  With hotter temperatures, more female hatchlings will be produced. 

The sea turtle use ocean currents to travel and find prey. Rise in ocean temperatures influence migratory species by changing currents and affecting the abundance of prey species. "Warmer water temperatures also affect coral reefs through coral bleaching which are crucial to the survival of turtle species like the hawksbill," according to global warming and turtles.

If turtles are affected by global warming, so what? Why exactly ARE sea turtles important? One reason is that they help maintain the ecological balance by eating and by being eaten. Another reason is because they provide nutrients for the beaches. Beaches do not get many nutrients and so it needs the hatchling eggs, egg shell, and the trapped hatchlings there. Learn more about the turtle's importance from this link.

Let's help in saving these turtle's lives! How do we do that? By joining coastal clean-ups. If ever you find trash on the shores... well, pick it up. Restrain yourself and others from eating or buying turtle products such as eggs, meat, and carapace. Save turtle habitats --- beaches, coral reefs, pelagic (open ocean), and brackish. Don't eat swordfish and tuna. Why? Because these are caught on long lines, which also catch and kill sea turtles). Info from turtle habitats and save turtles. 

Can you see how colorful the world of the pawikan now? Anyways, thanks for reading! I hope to meet you again in the next post!  

"Pag may tiyaga, may nilaga."

-Tagalog saying

(If we save turtle lives, there will be more for us to eat "Mmm...". Just kidding, don't eat turtles!)

Photos by: TinCan

Out of the Nest and into the Beach

In case you ask why we had this field trip: Well, our school organized this field trip exclusively for us, 6th graders. Its aim is for us to learn more about turtles, the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, and to help hatchlings and turtles. By having this field trip we would help the turtles and learn how a nuclear power plant works. We would be inspired in helping the endangered species of the turtle. The idea of having a field trip to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant and the Pawikan Conservation Center is a great idea. This place is a great place to have a field trip in and a good place to learn in.

 The Turtle Gang went to this field trip to learn, experience, and have fun. To learn about turtles and about the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). To experience the releasing of baby turtles and to experience being inside of a Nuclear Power Plant. We'd have fun with our teachers, classmates, food, turtles, and the sand on the beach. (Especially one batch love pair.) It is always fun to be with friends. This field trip will be a great adventure for the Gang!

Before the field trip we expected to enjoy many things in our field trip. We hoped it to be a fun exciting field trip. We expected a good weather and a good number of hatchlings, sure enough there were just an adequate number of hatchlings for the batch! Our field trip turned out to be just as we expected!

Before the field trip Zefyron felt very excited and "kinikilig" because of what LOVE might happen. 

(#AYEEE XD)

The rest of the Turtle Gang felt excited too for the field trip, we were all excited on what we will see, what we will do, and on the things we will learn. The ThermoSci Dama competition was also started during our field trip, so that is another thing we were looking out for.  

The Pawikan Conservation Center (PCC), this is the first site our bus took us to. On are way to the Pawikan Conservation Center we expected to learn about turtles, how they are got, bred, and how they are released. We wanted to know how and why the PCC was founded and started. 









The PCC is a conservation center to save the endangered turtles. It was founded by people who want to help the pawikans (turtles). They are all volunteers and receives no pay. We should thank these people because of their heroic acts but they say it is just a debt being repaid. These are the people who killed and ate many many turtles and turtle eggs. 

Here we are at the Pawikan Conservation Center. We went in and we sat around in chairs like a classroom. Here we learned a lot of things about turtles and about the Pawikan Conservation Center. We learned about the seven turtle species and about what they eat. We learned about the different varieties of food that turtles eat. The largest species, the leatherback turtle mainly eats jellyfishes. The smallest one, the olive ridley turtle, based on what we learned during our field trip, mainly eats sea grass. Other sources say that it is mostly carnivorous and eats jellyfishes,

snails, and crabs. To learn more about the Olive Ridley turtle click on this link. Here at the PCC we also learned about the PCC, why they made it, who made it, and what they do here. We were told that temperature is what determines these hatchling's gender and when they will hatch. We were each given a hatchling to release. We all released a lepidochelys olivacea or an Olive Ridley turtle. We needed to released them 5 meters away so the hachlings to remember where they came from, this is a process called imprint. To learn more about the PCC click this. After releasing the hatchlings, we 

all started our coastal clean up. For every 
piece of trash we pick up one turtle life we save. This is what the people there told us.
We had fun in our trip to the Pawikan Conservation Center, we learned many things and we helped the hatchlings. We had a chance to buy our own stuffed turtles and other souvenirs.

Now let's focus more on the Olive Ridley turtle. The Olive Ridley is a vulnerable species, it came from the Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Lauan, Order: Chicken Wings, wait what? Sorry, wrong place, Class: Reptilia, Order: Testudines, Family: Cheloniidae, Genus: Lepidochelys, and Finally species: lepidochelys olivacea, wait but how did it get this scientific name? Let's go to it's taxonomy, The olive ridley was first described as Testudo mydas minor, Suckhow, 1798. It was later renamed Chelonian olivacea, Eschscholtz, 1829, and eventually Lepidochelys olivacea Fitzinger, 1843. Because Eschscholtz was the first to propose the specific epithet olivacea, though, he was credited with the valid name Lepidochelys olivacea Eschscholtz, 1829.

The genus name is derived from the Greek words lepidos, meaning scale, and chelys, which translates to turtle. Information from Wikipidea Olive Ridley. The Olive Ridley is a small sea turtle, it has a heart-shaped carapace, it's upper parts are grayish green to olive in color, it has a medium-sized, broad head. It has a short snout and paddle-like forelimbs, each having two anterior claws. 

If you look at the baby hatchlings, you can see that the turtle's snout seems pointed. The baby hatchling in the picture above looks like it has loose skin on its neck. This creature also has claws on its forelimbs according to the source. That feature is interesting on this, Olive Ridley. That makes me wonder, what are these claws for? Another interesting thing about his species is that it changes color in different periods of their lives according to this source.

Why did we focus on this turtle? Well, it is the one we released. The Olive Ridley is a small sea turtle, and yet it has many interesting features. In our gallery below, you can find a picture of the whole body of the baby Olive Ridley we released. 

The Olive Ridley is an omnivorous consumer, it eats jellyfishes, snails, crabs, shrimps, sea urchins and it also eats seagrass. To learn more about it's food and predators. Okay, so the Olive Ridley does it's role by lessening the population of these said "food" of the Olive Ridley. Hatchlings are the usual prey of predators such as:  vultures, frigate birds, crabs, raccoons, coyotes, iguanas, and snakes. In the water, predators of the Olive Ridley hatchlings are oceanic fishes, sharks, and crocodiles. Adult Olive Ridley turtles has less predators than a hatchling. These include the sharks and killer whales. Olive Ridley turtles should also watch out for human predators. 

Turtle Gang's Gallery

On are way to the Pawikan Conservation Center

 TinCan's picture of the sunset that took place

  On the bus traveling...

Half of the Turtle Gang standing up Zefyron and Alphawolf (Photo by: TinCan)

Teacher Rye's beloved doll, Chewie sitting on the sand. (Photo by: Zefyron)

TinCan's hatchling trying to get out to the sea

the beach where the hatchlings were released 

Anonymous101 taking a picture







Here is a short video taken by alphawolf

"Huwag kang magtiwala sa 'di mo kakilala"

-Tagalog saying

(Do this to survive hatchlings!)

Photos by: Zefyron and TinCan

The Hatchlings

Hey there! This is the page of the Turtle Gang. Here we write down our adventures in science, both at school and during our field trip. We also teach concepts and lessons in science to educate young readers and to further educate the minds of adult readers. Our blog is meant for everyone,  whether you are a girl or a boy if you are young or old. We would like to thank our teacher, Rye, who is our beloved Guru. He is the one who administered this activity for us to have fun. We, the "Hatchlings," that make up this, "Turtle Gang" are TinCan, Zefyron, Alphawolf, and Anonymous101. We wish you learn something from this blog! Thanks!

Zefyron

He is Zefyron, our administrator, he created this blog and prepared it for us. He is our adventurous writer and lead photographer. He is the one who took the photos in our field trip and searches photos in the internet when needed. He is a smart, fun-loving, daring adventurer!








                                                                                                                                         

This is Alphawolf, our lead editor. She corrects our wrong grammar or spelling in our blog posts. She also tells us what we should change, add, and remove. She also takes note of what the comments say and improve our blog when needed. She is a funny, artistic and very, very creative Internet Surfer!





                                                                                                                   
Anonymous101
She is Anonymous101, she is our lead designer. She is in charge of formatting and designing our blog. She dazzles our blog into something known as a Work of Art. She is a creative, persevering and fun, fashionista!
                                          







                                                                                                                                      
He is TinCan, our blog poster. He is the one who edits the post that are to be posted. He is the one that finalizes the posts. He makes sure that everything is flawless and beautiful. (like his crush). He is a smart, kind and always fun to be with Math Master

"Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan"

-Tagalog Saying (For the hatchlings)

Photos By: Zefyron