The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Its a BIG mess. The Exxon Valdez spill was 11 million total. The spill in the Gulf is dumping 4 times that in one week...
Along with the problems this spill has caused for BP, the wildlife in the Gulf has been impacted just as much. The Kemp's Ridley sea turtle is one of the most endangered breeds of sea turtles in the worlsd. The oil spill has killed many of these turtle and other sea turtles inculding the green sea turtle, hawk's bill and the loggerhead. All 3 types of turtles are endangered. The oil in the Gulf threatens their survival at every stage of their lives.
The spill started right in the middle of the turtle nesting season. The oil could harm mature, nesting age female turtles and decrease the sucess rate of hatching turtles. Deformities are also possilbe and once the baby turtles make their way out into the rest of the population, they may be exposed directly to the oil.
There are many injuries that a turtle can sustain from the oil, some of which are... Chemical burns, brain damage, respiratory tract damage and digestion problems. All of these injusies are life threatening to a sea turtle.
The effects of the oil spill could last decades...
Hirsch, Masako. "Gulf oil spill's effects on sea turtles examined." Nola.com Wednesday, June 09, 2010: n. pag. Web. 14 Jun 2010. .
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