A World Without Turtles: Do You Know What Would Happen?
We are not truly aware of the importance all animals play in maintaining ecosystems. What would a world without turtles look like?
The truth is, unfortunately, we may be close to seeing this: 61% of turtle species are extinct or threatened with extinction.
What are turtles?
Turtles, also called turtles, are a group of large-bodied reptiles protected by a shell from which their limbs, head and tail emerge.
These animals have part of their skeleton welded to the carapace, and are unable to breathe due to the movement of the rib cage. In turtles, the abdominal muscles act like a makeshift diaphragm.
These animals do not have teeth, however, their jaw is similar to a beak. They are cold-blooded animals, so they need heat to speed up their metabolism. Like other reptiles, they change their skin and shell, albeit much more slowly.
a world without turtles
Turtles are very old animals that lived with dinosaurs. The oldest known turtle lived in Asia 220 million years ago. It was named Odontochelys semitestacea .
Unfortunately, she could not survive the man’s presence. Of the 356 species of turtles that exist, more than half are extinct or are threatened.
These turtles are an indispensable part of many ecosystems, so many wonder what would happen in a world without turtles.
What would it be like if this group of animals were to be wiped out by threats such as global warming, disease, habitat destruction and their growing popularity as a pet?
The effects of a world without turtles were analyzed by an American university, and its results highlighted its enormous importance in various ecological networks, or even in seed dispersal and habitat creation.
The effects of the absence of these animals can even affect humans, although to this day this does not seem so obvious.
The work highlights the enormous importance of these animals for many ecosystems that are often unrelated to turtles, such as deserts and wetlands. Naturally, sea turtles also play a vital role in the oceans.
What are turtles for?
Keep in mind that turtles are a group of animals with a varied diet, so while some eat vegetables and disperse their seeds, others are carnivores and play an important role in controlling certain animals.
A clear example is the jellyfish. While we provide better conditions for their proliferation, we are extinguishing the sea turtles, which consume hundreds of these animals.
Many of these turtles dig burrows that many mammals and even insects reuse, as do many desert turtles in the United States. The ecological dependence of certain ecosystems, such as freshwater, is still unknown, and we could be talking about key species that have been little studied.
Naturally, turtles are part of the food chain and are the food of many animals during their long migratory routes, such as those practiced by the loggerhead turtle.
What would happen to a world without turtles? The answer sounds complicated, but we would certainly notice its absence.
