Honolulu Star-Advertiser © Susan Scott
October 12, 2001
In the past, when a question popped up about Hawaii’s sea turtles, I had two options. One was to look it up in my biology books, and the other was to ask Hawaii’s turtle specialist, George Balazs.
Although both systems provide good information, they have their problems. My textbooks cover the whole world’s turtles and go into such detail that the search for a simple answer can become an afternoon chore.
And although George is always happy to help, I feel guilty pestering him with every little question. Local wildlife artist and author Patrick Ching had the same problem and decided to do something about it.
He teamed up with Balazs as science advisor, and the University of Hawaii Press as publisher, and wrote a book called, “Sea Turtles of Hawaii.” We turtle lovers now have a 55-page turtle book that’s accurate, easy to read, and best of all, local.
People who know Patrick know his style is relaxed and his art superb, and both qualities shine bright in this book. Kids can learn about Hawaii’s turtles just from looking at the excellent pictures. In the text, adults can find the answers to common (and some uncommon) turtle questions.
Because so many Hawaii residents have a warm spot in their hearts for our gentle reptiles, I get a lot of questions about turtles. Here are a few I could not easily answer before I had this book:
1. What percentage of turtle hatchlings makes it to adulthood?
2. What’s causing those terrible tumors on our turtles?
3. How many species of sea turtles swim in Hawaiian waters?
4. Which is the smallest species of sea turtle in the world?
5. Where do loggerhead turtles nest?
6. What is a pyrosoma?
To learn the answers, you’ll have to buy the book. Just kidding. The answers are:
1. Researchers estimate that only one in 1,000 hatchlings reach sexual maturity (0.1 percent). That’s why each green female turtle lays so many eggs — 100 at a time, up to six times per season.
2. Although it’s not confirmed, researchers highly suspect a herpes virus is causing the debilitating tumors seen on our turtles. No one knows how it is transmitted, but they do know it infects only turtles.
3. Five turtles swim here: green, hawksbill, loggerhead, olive ridley, and leatherback turtles. That leaves two that don’t come to Hawaii: Kemp’s ridley (Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean) and the flatback turtle (Australia).
4. At about 2 feet long and up to 100 pounds, the olive ridley is the world’s smallest sea turtle. This is also the world’s most abundant sea turtle.
5. Most loggerheads nest in Florida and on Masirah Island, off Oman. Smaller nesting sites are found in Japan, Australia and Greece. Hawaii has none.
6. This is my own question. Patrick explains that a pyrosoma is a luminescent floating invertebrate. I haven’t heard this term, however, and can’t think of one example of a luminescent floating invertebrate.
Sounds like a future Ocean Watch column.
If, like me, you didn’t know the answers to these questions, which came from second and third graders by the way, buy this book. Hawaii educators, parents and marine enthusiasts should all have it so we can teach our kids, and anyone else interested, the facts about these remarkable, native animals.