These poor creatures have been eating pieces of plastic (Picture: SWNS)
Turtle stomachs are packed full of plastics floating in the world’s oceans, including part of a child’s Halloween costume.
Researchers found a range of ‘macroplastics’ – pieces larger than 5mm – in the guts of dead sea turtles in the Mediterranean, highlighting the scale of plastic pollution in the oceans.
One had 67 pieces inside it when it was examined by a research team led by the University of Exeter and the North Cyprus Society for the Protection of Turtles (SPOT).
Among the haul of hundreds was a Halloween witch’s finger toy, which experts believe was likely eaten by a turtle that thought it was a crab’s claw.
‘The journey of that Halloween toy – from a child’s costume to the inside of a sea turtle – is a fascinating glimpse into the life cycle of plastic’, according to Dr Emily Duncan, from Exeter’s Centre for Ecology and Conservation.
‘These turtles feed on gelatinous prey such as jellyfish and seabed prey such as crustaceans, and it’s easy to see how this item might have looked like a crab claw.’
The plastic witch’s finger found inside a dead sea turtle (Picture: University of Exeter/SWNS)
The research team found 492 pieces of plastic when they examined 135 loggerhead turtles that were washed up or accidentally caught in fishing nets off northern Cyprus.
More than 40% of them contained ‘macroplastics’, including bottle tops. It is not clear why there were such different levels ingested by the animals.
Loggerheads are a potential ‘bioindicator’ species that researchers believe could help them understand the scale and impact of plastic pollution.
Turtles appear drawn to certain types, colours and shapes of plastic, particularly those that resemble their food.
Most of the plastics – 62% – were ‘sheetlike’, while 41% were clear and another 25% were white.
The most common material was polypropylene, in 37% of cases, while 35% were polyethylene.
Some of the 492 pieces of plastic ingested by just 135 loggerhead turtles examined as part of a study of the sea creatures off northern Cyprus (Picture: Emily Duncan/SWNS)
Dr Duncan explained: ‘It’s likely that turtles ingest the plastics that mostly closely resemble their foods.
‘We still don’t know the full impacts of macroplastic on turtles’ health, but negative effects could include causing blockages and limiting nutrition.’
Although the scale of the problem is startling, the study didn’t indicate a rising scale of pollution in the seas.
The incidence of macroplastic ingestion remained stable and did not increase over the period from 2012 to 2022 when the turtles were found.
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Researchers found no difference between stranded and ‘bycaught’ – accidentally caught – turtles.
The study offers vital insight into plastic pollution in the eastern Mediterranean, but researchers say research is needed now more than ever,
Researchers say while the study provides vital information about plastic pollution in the eastern Mediterranean, more research is now needed more than ever.
Professor Brendan Godley, who leads the Exeter Marine research group, said: ‘Much larger sample sizes will be needed for loggerheads to be an effective ‘bioindicator’ species, and we recommend studies should also include green turtles – allowing a more holistic picture to be gathered.’
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