Turtle+Future

Click here to view extinct turtle ** Scientific Classification ** ** Common name: ** Sea turtodiloes ** Kingdom: ** Animalia ** Phylum: ** Chordata ** Class: ** Reptilia ** Order: ** Testudines ** Family: ** Cheloniidae
 * Sea Turtodilo **
 * Genus species: **Chelonia mydas


 * Habitat for green sea turtodilo **

The green sea turtodilo will live in the open sea, not shallow water. It will have a wider range to travel then the green sea turtle. This allows the green sea turtodiloes to find more opportunities to eat a diverse range of food. For example, if they were travelling around Australia it could eat the Australian cuttlefish, and if it was travelling near the North American region, it feed on small salmons. Also, this will benefit the green sea turtodilo by having more islands for them to lay their eggs on. The green sea turtle had limited number of islands in which they lay their eggs on, however the green sea turtodilo can lay their eggs on isolated islands, where there are no human activity. This allows increase in the population of the green sea turtodiloes and their name would no longer be on the list of endangered species.

Due to some new adaptions and evolutionary features, the green sea turtodilo can go onto shore frequently when confronted by their predator such as a killer whale. It may go on to shore not only for laying their eggs, but also to hunt down small land predators such as small crabs along the coastline. Adult green sea turtodilo, like their ancestors, will continue to live near coral reefs and algae for protection, as it is harder for their predators to find them. The map below is a map of where sea turtodiloes can be found.


 * The locations of sea turtodiloes **



Adaptation

 * Retracting **

Sea turtles unlike tortoise cannot retract their head inside their shell. Therefore only its body is protected. This can provide camouflage in coral reefs because without its head it looks like a rock with mosses on it. Also, when female turtles are going on the beach to lay her eggs, the head as well as its legs are unprotected from land predators and birds such as raccoon and sea gulls respectively. Green sea turtles are becoming extinct, however with this adaption, the population of it world increase significantly. The only predators of turtles would become human beings.


 * Rolling **

Baby sea turtles, which have just come out of their eggs, get hunted down by sea gulls. Baby sea turtles when they hatch from their eggs, have soft shells. Like armadillos, baby sea turtodiloes can modify their shell into a shell of an armadillo, which can be compressed into a ball shape. This enables sea turtles to roll down the sea shore with ease. With this adaption, baby sea turtodiloes will be on shore of a short period of time. However, as the shell gets harder, sea turtodiloes will not be able to bend its shell anymore. This is okay because sea gulls sea gullsdo not hunt down adult sea turtles but only hatched ones. The steps in which the sea turtodiloes must learn is simple.


 * 1) ** Roll’s it body – ** this is possible as said in the adaptions above, the green sea turtle can have banded outer shells
 * 2) ** Tuck it’s head and legs into its shell ** – this is again, possible as said in the adaptions, the green sea turtles will be able to retract their head and legs into their shell
 * 3) ** The result leaves virtually no exposed flesh for a predator to hurt – ** serves a same purpose as the shell of the turtles.


 * Teeth **

Just like the odontochelys the sea turtle would evolve to have teeth on both of their upper and lower jaw. There will be a larger ‘menu’ for sea turtodiloes. The sea turtodilo would be able to eat small fish, and will not have to always eat algae and seaweed. The teeth can also allow sea turtodiloes to eat small land preys such as sea crabsSea turtodiloes will not have to worry about food. The most beneficial feature about the evolution of teeth in sea turtodiloes is that many sea turtles have been drowned due to ‘accidental’ human fishnets. However, due to this significant adaptation, the sea turtodiloes would be able to cut through the fishnet and escape. Most of the sea turtles die because of human activities such as getting caught in fishnets and is now listed as an endangered species, but with this adaptation, the population of the sea turtodilo would increase significantly.


 * Diet **

The green sea turtodilo will become omnivores. The green sea turtles, which are the green sea turtodiloes ancestors, are herbivores, meaning that they only eat plants such as algae and seaweed. The odontochelys which is the green sea turtle’s ancestors are carnivores, meaning they only eat meat. The green sea turtodilo will become omnivores, mixing up two of its ancestor’s features. It will eat crab meat, small fish. Sea turtodilo travels to Warm Ocean, and while they are travelling the sea turtodilo can feed on Australian cutter fish when near the Pacific region and also eat the salmon when near the North America region. By adapting to change their diet, sea turtodiloes do not have to worry about food, and will never die of hunger.


 * Back limbs **

When catching preys under water such as fish, speed is required. Its ancestor, the green sea turtle’s feet does not serve a purpose. The green sea turtodilo’s back limbs will modify into a paddle like limbs, like the ones for the front two limbs. The green sea turtles can swim at 2.3 kilometers per hour. The odontochelys could swim at around 1.5 kilometers per hour. The main difference between the odontochelys and a green sea turtle was that the green sea turtle had two paddle like limbs, while the other didn’t. From this, it can be assumed that the two paddle like limbs allowed the green sea turtle to swim 0.8 kilometers faster (of course, other things would have to come into factor such as the shell size, therefore this is just an **rough estimate**). The green sea turtodilo will be able to swim over 3 kilometers per hour, with two modified paddle like limbs. Also, this allows them to run away from predators such as the killer whale faster.

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 * Environmental pressure **

The green sea turtle would become extinct due to climate change and increase in death caused by human activities, such as getting caught in finishing nets. Without the teeth, it cannot bite through it and would drown. Many of the sea turtles will die this way. Another reason it may become extinct is because of climate change. In thousands of years, there would be diverse climate change, which causes the sea level to rise. This would affect green sea turtles as sea level will rise due to melting ice bergs, which would then ruin beaches. They will have nowhere to lay their eggs. They may adapt to lay their eggs under water; however, fish may use them for their food source.

Global warming and cooling in the future. (n.d.). //World Energy Crisis//. Retrieved June 26, 2011, from [] Strauss, (n.d.). Turtle Evolution - The Story of Prehistoric Turtles and Turtle Evolution. //Dinosaurs - Types, Behavior and Evolution of Dinosaurs//. Retrieved June 25, 2011, from [] Wikipedia. (2011, May 26). Armadillo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. Retrieved June 26, 2011, from []