More than half of all Turtle and Tortoise species are now facing extinction, according to a new report published recently by Current Biology.
Turtles are one of the oldest species in the world today. These cute animals were around during the same time the dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
Turtles have been in the world for 250 million years now.
They have evolved and therefore, changed since the time of the dinosaurs. Some of the species of Turtles that once existed on Earth - such as species of Turtles alive during the time of the dinosaurs - are long since extinct. While other species new species evolved and took over.
How Many Turtle Species Are Alive Today?
There are seven different types of Sea Turtles in the wild today.
These seven Sea Turtle species are:
1) Leatherback Turtles
2) Loggerhead Turtles
3) Green Turtles
4) Hawksbill Turtle
5) Flatback Turtle
6) Kemp's Ridley Turtle
7) Olive Ridley Turtle
Six out of seven of these Turtle species are either threatened or endangered.
All of these seven species of Turtle can be found within all of the world's oceans.
How Many Tortoise Species Are Alive Today?
Tortoises are a very similar species to Turtles. Tortoises are quite different from Turtles though. Turtles are ocean-dwelling animals mostly (though some Turtles are not ocean animals), which makes them quite different from Tortoises, as Tortoises are land-dwelling animals.
Today, there are thought to be over 60 different Tortoise species.
Tortoises can live for a very long time. Much longer than humans can. The oldest living animal today is a Tortoise named Jonathan. Jonathan was born in 1832! So the world has changed quite a bit since Jonathan came into the world. Today Jonathan is 187 years old!
How Many Turtle & Tortoise Species Are There?
Today, there are 360 different species in the world today. While Turtles are found all over the world in every ocean, Tortoises are found in a few different places in the world.
Tortoises are found in the Americas, Mediterranean, sub-Saharan Africa, Eurasia, Madagascar, some Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia.
How Many Turtle Species Are Now Facing Extinction?
As stated earlier, more than half of all Turtle and Tortoise species are now facing extinction sadly. There are 127 of them which are endangered or critically endangered today, making these 127 Turtles and Tortoises very near extinction. And, there are 187 Turtles and Tortoises threatened with extinction (when a species is classified as ''threatened'' they are one step away from becoming classed as an endangered species.
What Is The Most Endangered Species Today?
The most endangered Turtle in the world today is called the Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle. They are also one of the most endangered animals in the world today.
It seems like they are the second most endangered animal in the world today, after the Northern White Rhino. Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtles are classified as critically endangered and are extremely vulnerable to extinction today.
Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtles are so rare, that no females exist of the species. The last female Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle died last April in a Chinese zoo.
There are now only 3 individual Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtles remaining left in the world, all of the remaining Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtles are males.
The Good Recent News For Turtles
Not all news about Turtles has been bad recently, there has been some good news stories!
In April this year, 100 baby Hawksbill Turtles hatched one a beach in Brazil. This is great news for Hawksbill Turtles as they are currently an endangered species.
And, in India this year, there has been more Sea Turtles hatching on beaches.
You can read more about the report - here.
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