August 26, 2013: Fish Ripples

365 Project, Day 66

Here is my day sixty-six submission to my 365Project:

It was so calm today and perfect for observations! This was great not only for looking for marine mammals but also sea turtles and fish...and I managed to get this shot of some fish swimming near the surface off our bow.

Here`s a photo of sea turtle I also spotted this morning. We`ve been seeing a lot of them floating at the surface resting...and they`re often there so long their carapace (shell) dries out!

Fact of the day:

Sea turtles are ancient ocean dwellers that have lived on Earth for 150 million years, since before the time of dinosaurs. Now, all seven species of sea turtles are either critically endangered or threatened. The population of leather back sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) has declined 95% in the last 25 years. 

To read more about sea turtles and their conservation check out Seaturtle.org.

August 17, 2013: Olive Ridley Sea Turtle

365 Project, Day 57

Here is my day fifty-seven submission to my 365Project:

Until today we haven't seen any turtles (although I've had 3-4 suspected sightings but they were too far to tell and weren't moving at all!) then today this Olive Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) was one of three sightings of turtles we had! It might have helped we had flat calm seas but it is also nearing nesting season here and apparently the turtles start to aggregate offshore Angola about this time of the year before heading to the beaches to nest starting in September.

When I first spotted this turtle it was floating at the surface and, apparently, had been there so long it's shell dried out! Unfortunately, we rudely disturbed it from its rest and, as the vessel passed, it dove and swam straight down. 

Fun fact of the day:

The smooth shells and paddle-like flippers of sea turtles help them speed through the water as fast as 24 km/hr. These turtles have been known to swim up to 4 828 km in one year!

For more info on Olive Ridley Sea Turtles go check out the MarinBio and the Sea Turtle Conservancy webpages.