An adult female green sea turtle body was found floating in the sea of Sai Kung yesterday Christmas (25th). After receiving the turtle carcass, the Marine Animal Image Anatomy Research Group of City University of Hong Kong conducted a preliminary autopsy on it this afternoon (26th).
Ge Zhanrong, the chief researcher of the research team and assistant professor of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health of City University, said that the preliminary autopsy results showed that the green turtle was healthy and had no superficial scars. Further toxicological and pathological examinations are needed to determine the cause of death.
An adult female green sea turtle was found dead yesterday (25th) floating on the sea surface of Sai Kung. After receiving the turtle carcass, the Marine Animal Image Anatomy Research Group of City University of Hong Kong conducted a preliminary autopsy this afternoon (26th).
(Provided by the Image Anatomy Research Group of Marine Animals, CityU)
Ge Zhanrong pointed out that the female green sea turtle involved is sexually mature, with a carapace 100 centimeters long and 60 centimeters wide.
During the autopsy, the team found that it had food and excrement from the esophagus to the stomach, small intestine and large intestine, indicating that its nutritional status was good, so it should not have died of starvation.
In addition, the turtle had no superficial injuries, so it is not believed to have been hit by a boat to death.
As for whether there are microplastics or other plastic waste in the green sea turtles, further analysis is required.
Ge Zhanrong emphasized that besides collisions or lack of food, green sea turtles still face many other threats, such as accidental capture by fishermen, entanglement in underwater "ghost nets", water pollution, and even their own diseases. Toxicological and pathological examinations of green sea turtles are required to draw conclusions on the cause of death.
An adult female green sea turtle was found dead yesterday (25th) floating on the sea surface of Sai Kung. After receiving the turtle carcass, the Marine Animal Image Anatomy Research Group of City University of Hong Kong conducted a preliminary autopsy this afternoon (26th).
(Provided by the Image Anatomy Research Group of Marine Animals, CityU)
The dead body of an adult green sea turtle floats in the Sai Kung city General dissects and finds out the cause of death