Wordless Wednesday: Island Sign Language

Endangered Species: Chelonia mydas Pacific Green Sea Turtle

Aoumigame (アオウミガメ) in Japanese

This juvenile sea turtle was spotted below the cliffs at Hedo Misaki (Hedo Point) Okinawa.

English speakers say, "That ain't green."  And Japanese, don't think it's blue, either.

Well, I don't go around, making these name up. That's a Green Turtle and, it's in the sea.

Go check ARKive if, you like and see, what they have to say about Chelonia mydas.

The IUCN Red List of threatened species, can tell you why, they're endangered.

And, Wikipedia let's you know, how they breed and, where they hangout.

Whatever you do, don't get caught messing with any Sea Turtles. You could go to jail !

We Gotta Track This Dude Down

This photo was taken September 4, 2013 at a Sea Turtle release.

It's always a good idea to arrive at events like this, before the action takes place.

It was the first time, I ever saw anything like this so, I went a few hours early.

The guy with the big camera showed up just a few minutes before it all started.

More than likely, he's done these things before.

He had all kinds of waterproof gadgetry for photos and video.

Camera Nuts Are a Special Breed of People

 

 

Easily bored, while waiting for things to start, we find ways to entertain ourselves.

The dude started pointing his big camera at me.

When I noticed, I pointed my lens towards him.

And, we shot each other.

No harm done; we were just shooting photos.

Then the Fun Began

 

 

Once the little turtles are turned loose, it's every cameraman for himself.

In and out of the surf and sand go the baby critters and the cameras.

By the time the last turtle disappeared into the sea, it was dark.

We chatted a bit, before leaving the site.

Being the poor folks we are, neither of us had business cards to exchange.

Now, I have to track this dude down so, I can give him his photos.

And, I want to see how my portrait turned out.

I bet my hair was a mess !

Photo Essay: Baby Sea Turtle Release as as Educational Tool

Loggerhead Turtles and Children

 

This release at Maeda Point in Okinawa, Japan took place September 4, 2013.

The little sea turtles had hatched earlier that day.

Baby Loggerheads (Caretta caretta) are about the size of my Swiss Army Knife.

At first, I was worried about trying to take photos with all the children handling them.

But, they got a lesson from an expert in sea life preservation.

There were plenty of parents and teachers on hand to supervise the project.

The boys and girls handled them gently.

The little turtles were the rambunctious ones.  They want to run into the ocean !

A line was drawn in the sand.

The people with little flip flops, had to stay behind and let the baby turtles go.

Only adults and cameramen were allowed to follow the turtles to the sea.

So, that's what we did.

The little critters made a run for the coast, at high tide.

And, it looks like a happy ending when they hit the water.

Sometimes, Mother Nature has other plans for them.

And, they get tossed, by the tide, back onto the beach.

They wiggle and thrash around with those strong front legs until they get it right.

Eventually, they make it out into the open sea.

Sea Turtles Around the World Are Endangered Species

 

 

It would be nice to see more people around the globe teaching children about them.

Here is a list of resources:

ARKive

Baby Sea Turtles

National Geographic

Sea Turtle Conservency

Defenders of Wildlife

Sea Turtle Association of Japan  ENGLISH