Wildlife Question of the Week Answer
The answer is a), sea turtles can hold their breath for five hours underwater. To accomplish this mighty feat, they slow their heart rate to up to nine minutes in between heart beats in order to conserve oxygen.
Sea turtles are under threat from a variety of hazards. Major threats in the United States include damage and changes to nesting and foraging habitats, accidental capture during fishing, getting tangled in marine debris, and being hit by boats and ships. To reduce harm to sea turtles, NOAA restricts commercial fishers from using certain kinds of fishing gear (gill nets, long-lines, pound nets, and trawls) that are known to catch large numbers of sea turtles as bycatch. NOAA Fisheries and the USFWS developed plans to guide research and management to improve the health and long-term survival of each sea turtle species.
Related: Here's a green sea turtle gracefully swimming in a shallow lagoon at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. (DOI Twitter)
Source: Eco Watch, NOAA.gov
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