{"id":5476,"date":"2010-03-19T17:09:14","date_gmt":"2010-03-19T22:09:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/?p=5476"},"modified":"2010-03-19T17:17:30","modified_gmt":"2010-03-19T22:17:30","slug":"the-breakfast-lunch-and-dinner-of-leviathans-returns-to-buzzards-bay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/?p=5476","title":{"rendered":"The Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner of Leviathans Returns to Buzzards Bay"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"leatherback<\/a><\/p>\n

Giant Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Each spring witnesses the return of leviathan leatherback sea turtles\u00c2\u00a0to Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.\u00c2\u00a0 These massive sea turtles, an anachronistic\u00c2\u00a0relic of prehistoric times\u00c2\u00a0and the most massive living repile on Planet Earth, are a globally listed endangered species.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Adults can reach more than 8 feet in length and 2000 pounds in weight.\u00c2\u00a0 According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “The leatherback is the largest, deepest diving, and most migratory and wide ranging of all sea turtles.”<\/p>\n

\"lion's<\/a><\/p>\n

Lion’s Mane Jellyfish (Cyanea capillata)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Leatherbacks achieve this massive size by feasting on a diet almost exclusively composed of jellyfish.\u00c2\u00a0 In Buzzards Bay, the attractive prey that entices leatherbacks to return each year is lion’s mane jellyfish.\u00c2\u00a0 So, each spring time the Turtle Journal team watches the shores of Buzzards Bay for the first appearance of a lion’s mane bloom, which presages the arrival of our favorite leviathans.<\/p>\n

\"lions<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0Lion’s Mane Jellyfish in Sippican Harbor<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Today marked the first lion’s mane jellyfish that we have documented in Buzzards Bay this\u00c2\u00a0(pre-)spring.\u00c2\u00a0 We also\u00c2\u00a0recorded our first ctenophora\u00c2\u00a0(also called comb jellies) in Sippican Harbor yesterday.<\/p>\n

\"lion's<\/a><\/p>\n

Lion’s Mane Jellfish<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

So, if jellyfish are the breakfast, lunch and dinner of leviathans, how are leatherback sea turtles configured to exploit this exclusive diet to gain such massive sizes?\u00c2\u00a0 Since jellyfish congregate in patches amidst vast empty distances of the oceans, how can leatherbacks take advantage of a good spot when it comes along in their pelagic journeys?<\/p>\n

\"LB<\/a><\/p>\n

Mouth of a 700-Pound Leatherback Sea Turtle<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The enormous mouth and the\u00c2\u00a0esophagus\u00c2\u00a0are lined with\u00c2\u00a0long, downward pointing spikes.\u00c2\u00a0 For a jellyfish, and anything else that enters, the leatherback GI system is a one way journey: downward.\u00c2\u00a0 When a leatherback runs into a patch of jellyfish it gorges itself, filling its mouth, esophagus, stomach and intestines with a bulging mass of food.\u00c2\u00a0 Another interesting anatomical feature of the leatherback is its enormous liver which processes the generous supply of\u00c2\u00a0toxins that it consumes from its jellyfish prey.<\/p>\n

\"lion's<\/a><\/p>\n

Lion’s Mane Jellyfish in Sippican Harbor<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

For the Turtle Journal team, the first sighting of lion’s mane jellyfish each year means that marine turtle season is fast approaching.\u00c2\u00a0 Welcome home, leatherbacks!\u00c2\u00a0 We’ve missed you all winter long.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Giant Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) Each spring witnesses the return of leviathan leatherback sea turtles\u00c2\u00a0to Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.\u00c2\u00a0 These massive sea turtles, an anachronistic\u00c2\u00a0relic of prehistoric times\u00c2\u00a0and the most massive living repile on Planet Earth, are a globally listed endangered species.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Adults can reach more than 8 feet in length and 2000 pounds in weight.\u00c2\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[824,23],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5476"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5476"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5476\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5510,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5476\/revisions\/5510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}