Abstract
Despite increasing levels of anthropogenic noise throughout the oceans, we know very little about the hearing capabilities of sea turtles or how they might behaviorally and physiologically respond to potentially harmful sources of noise. Sea turtles are among the evolutionarily oldest and most endangered marine species. Seven species of sea turtle exist worldwide, including Dermochelys coriacea (leatherback), Eretmochelys imbricata (hawksbill), Chelonia mydas (green), Caretta caretta (loggerhead), Lepidochelys kempi (Kemp’s ridley), Lepidochelys olivacea (olive ridley), and Natator depressus (flatback). With the exception of Natator depressus (for which we have insufficient data), all are classified as critically endangered or endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species (2010). Sea turtles are found in nearly all temperate and tropical marine environments and are highly migratory, traveling great distances between developmental, foraging, and nesting habitats. Given their endangered status, understanding the effects of noise on sea turtles is both timely and critically important.
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Piniak, W.E.D., Mann, D.A., Eckert, S.A., Harms, C.A. (2012). Amphibious Hearing in Sea Turtles. In: Popper, A.N., Hawkins, A. (eds) The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 730. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7311-5_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7311-5_18
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