The researchers at the Marine Research Center in Florida have noticed a new and disturbing phenomenon in recent times – 99% of the sea turtles that in the last four years on islands in Florida are female. The researchers identified that the sex of the newborn was determined according to the temperature of the sand on the beach where the egg was laid.
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Because of this, the continuous heating on the seashores meant that the male birth almost disappeared. “Scientists studying sea turtle hatching and eggs have found no baby sea turtles, so only female sea turtles in the last four years,” said Zirkelbach, whose turtle center has been operating since 1986. The trend is just one of many signs that the climate crisis is disrupting the natural ecosystems of Earth, and is moving too fast for many species to adapt.
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Betty Ziklerbach, a senior researcher at the research institute explained that if the turtle eggs hatch below 81.86 Fahrenheit (27.7 Celsius), the hatchlings will be male, while if they hatch above 88.8 Fahrenheit (31 Celsius) they will be female.