Junk food: Interspecific and intraspecific distinctions in marine debris ingestion by marine turtles

The pervasiveness of marine debris is now considered one of the most persistent changes in marine environments. This study reports marine debris ingested by green sea turtles Chelonia mydas and loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta that stranded along the eastern coast of the Sharjah Emirate in the United Arab Emirates. We observed that both green and loggerhead sea turtles frequently ingest (Frequency of Occurrence: 75.0% and 57.1% respectively) high quantities of marine debris, particularly plastics. The results suggest that green sea turtles are more likely to ingest soft items such as threads and sheets while loggerheads are more likely to ingest hard items. When considering the quantity, frequency and nature of ingested marine debris as well as the physiology of specific species and age classes, green sea turtles, particularly younger specimens, ingest the greatest amount of marine debris.

Automated summary

The study found that both green sea turtles and loggerhead sea turtles stranded along the eastern coast of the Sharjah Emirate in the UAE frequently ingest high quantities of marine debris, especially plastics. Green sea turtles are more likely to ingest soft items like threads and sheets, while loggerheads are more likely to ingest hard items. Additionally, younger green sea turtles were found to ingest the greatest amount of marine debris based on quantity, frequency, and nature.