An endangered loggerhead sea
turtle has washed up dead on a central Sardinia beach,
environmental officials said Wednesday.
The turtle weighing 50 kilos and measuring 70 cm had no
external signs of injury, forest rangers called to the scene
said.
Authorities will carry out an autopsy to determine the
cause of death and try to prevent more of the endangered species
from dying.
Loggerhead sea turtles, known in Italy as
Caretta-caretta turtles and considered at risk of extinction,
are the world's second-largest hard-shelled turtle.
Adults weigh 80-200 kilos and range in length from 70 to
95 centimeters.
The loggerhead sea turtle has a low birth rate, with the
females laying an average of four egg clutches every two to
three years.
Volunteers from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and
Legambiente environmentalist organizations have been guarding
loggerhead nests and infant turtles that hatched earlier this
year along Italy's southern coasts.
As well, Legambiente and WWF are in the process of setting
up a sea turtle first-aid clinic on the Sicilian island of
Favignana under the EU-financed TartaLife project, as the
animals often get injured by swallowing fishing hooks or getting
tangled in nets.
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