Marine Sponges, Other Animal Food, and Nonfood Items Found in Digestive Tracts of the Herbivorous Marine Turtle Chelonia mydas in Hawai'i

Although the usual diet of Chelonia mydas comes from algae and sea grasses (plant material), animal material has been found in samples taken over the past 35 yr. The small black-brown protein sponge Chondrosia chucalla resembles the alga Codium arabicum in size, color, and texture, and both grow nex...

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Main Author: Russell, Dennis (author)
Other Authors: Hargrove, Stacy (author), Balazs, George H. (author)
Format: article
Published: 2011
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11073/8262
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author Russell, Dennis
author2 Hargrove, Stacy
Balazs, George H.
author2_role author
author
author_facet Russell, Dennis
Hargrove, Stacy
Balazs, George H.
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Russell, Dennis
Hargrove, Stacy
Balazs, George H.
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2011-07
2016-03-16T05:08:22Z
2016-03-16T05:08:22Z
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv Russell, Dennis, Hargrove, Stacy, and Balazs, George H.. "Marine sponges, other animal food and non-food items found in the digestive tracts of herbivourous marine turtle Chelonia mydas in Hawaii. Pac. Sci. 65(3) : 375-381." Pacific Science: a quarterly devoted to the biological and physical sciences of the Pacific Region 65, no. 3 (2011): 375-381.
0030-8870
1534-6188
http://hdl.handle.net/11073/8262
10.2984/65.3.375
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv en_US
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.2984/65.3.375
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Marine Sponges, Other Animal Food, and Nonfood Items Found in Digestive Tracts of the Herbivorous Marine Turtle Chelonia mydas in Hawai'i
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
info:eu-repo/semantics/article
description Although the usual diet of Chelonia mydas comes from algae and sea grasses (plant material), animal material has been found in samples taken over the past 35 yr. The small black-brown protein sponge Chondrosia chucalla resembles the alga Codium arabicum in size, color, and texture, and both grow next to each other on the reefs. We hypothesize that turtles are actively seeking and eating these sponges and not mistaking them for C. arabicum. Both protein and silica sponges occur in the diet of Chelonia, but only 6.8% of the time are eaten in addition to their usual plant diet. Thirty different kinds of other animals were found in the samples, including Cnidaria, Mollusca, Crustacea, Insecta, Echinodermata, squid, fish, tumor flesh, and other animals but in low frequency (5%). Most of the miscellaneous nonfood debris items were terrestrial leaves, plastic, paper, string, fibers, hair, and paint chips but also in low frequency (<7%). Among animal food items known to have nutritional value, the protein sponge C. chucalla could be contributing an important nutritive factor, but this needs further research.
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identifier_str_mv Russell, Dennis, Hargrove, Stacy, and Balazs, George H.. "Marine sponges, other animal food and non-food items found in the digestive tracts of herbivourous marine turtle Chelonia mydas in Hawaii. Pac. Sci. 65(3) : 375-381." Pacific Science: a quarterly devoted to the biological and physical sciences of the Pacific Region 65, no. 3 (2011): 375-381.
0030-8870
1534-6188
10.2984/65.3.375
language_invalid_str_mv en_US
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oai_identifier_str oai:repository.aus.edu:11073/8262
publishDate 2011
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spelling Marine Sponges, Other Animal Food, and Nonfood Items Found in Digestive Tracts of the Herbivorous Marine Turtle Chelonia mydas in Hawai'iRussell, DennisHargrove, StacyBalazs, George H.Although the usual diet of Chelonia mydas comes from algae and sea grasses (plant material), animal material has been found in samples taken over the past 35 yr. The small black-brown protein sponge Chondrosia chucalla resembles the alga Codium arabicum in size, color, and texture, and both grow next to each other on the reefs. We hypothesize that turtles are actively seeking and eating these sponges and not mistaking them for C. arabicum. Both protein and silica sponges occur in the diet of Chelonia, but only 6.8% of the time are eaten in addition to their usual plant diet. Thirty different kinds of other animals were found in the samples, including Cnidaria, Mollusca, Crustacea, Insecta, Echinodermata, squid, fish, tumor flesh, and other animals but in low frequency (5%). Most of the miscellaneous nonfood debris items were terrestrial leaves, plastic, paper, string, fibers, hair, and paint chips but also in low frequency (<7%). Among animal food items known to have nutritional value, the protein sponge C. chucalla could be contributing an important nutritive factor, but this needs further research.2016-03-16T05:08:22Z2016-03-16T05:08:22Z2011-07info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfRussell, Dennis, Hargrove, Stacy, and Balazs, George H.. "Marine sponges, other animal food and non-food items found in the digestive tracts of herbivourous marine turtle Chelonia mydas in Hawaii. Pac. Sci. 65(3) : 375-381." Pacific Science: a quarterly devoted to the biological and physical sciences of the Pacific Region 65, no. 3 (2011): 375-381.0030-88701534-6188http://hdl.handle.net/11073/826210.2984/65.3.375en_UShttp://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.2984/65.3.375oai:repository.aus.edu:11073/82622024-08-22T12:18:51Z
spellingShingle Marine Sponges, Other Animal Food, and Nonfood Items Found in Digestive Tracts of the Herbivorous Marine Turtle Chelonia mydas in Hawai'i
Russell, Dennis
status_str publishedVersion
title Marine Sponges, Other Animal Food, and Nonfood Items Found in Digestive Tracts of the Herbivorous Marine Turtle Chelonia mydas in Hawai'i
title_full Marine Sponges, Other Animal Food, and Nonfood Items Found in Digestive Tracts of the Herbivorous Marine Turtle Chelonia mydas in Hawai'i
title_fullStr Marine Sponges, Other Animal Food, and Nonfood Items Found in Digestive Tracts of the Herbivorous Marine Turtle Chelonia mydas in Hawai'i
title_full_unstemmed Marine Sponges, Other Animal Food, and Nonfood Items Found in Digestive Tracts of the Herbivorous Marine Turtle Chelonia mydas in Hawai'i
title_short Marine Sponges, Other Animal Food, and Nonfood Items Found in Digestive Tracts of the Herbivorous Marine Turtle Chelonia mydas in Hawai'i
title_sort Marine Sponges, Other Animal Food, and Nonfood Items Found in Digestive Tracts of the Herbivorous Marine Turtle Chelonia mydas in Hawai'i
url http://hdl.handle.net/11073/8262