Turtles, Pawikan, and a bit of our Field Trip

Last January, we went to the Pawikan Conservation Center (PCC) and the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). To learn about the pawikan and how to conserve them was one of the main reasons why we had the field trip.

PCC 

BNPP

We joined the field trip because we wanted to learn about the pawikan and how to save them from extinction. We wanted to learn about nuclear power since not many people know much about this. Seeing the live pawikan and their hatchlings made us really excited, especially when we released them. Before the field trip, we expected that we will keep tons of memories of a once in a lifetime moment with the pawikan; moreover, we expected that we would be seeing different kinds of pawikan and if there's a chance, be able to release their hatchlings.

We felt very exited before the actual field trip but we were slightly sad because this would be out last field trip before leaving our beloved school, The Learning Tree. :'(

We went to two places in Bataan, particularly the PCC and the BNPP but first, we will focus on PCC. We expected to learn many things about the turtles, such as how we can save their depleting number, where they mostly lay their eggs, how to take care of them, their importance, and how we, as students can help conserve them.

The PCC is an institution that helps take care of the turtles by releasing them at a certain time so that they have a higher chance of survival. They also make people aware that these creatures are in danger of being extinct. 

We learned from PCC that turtles help maintain the ecological balance in the oceans and seas. The gender of the turtles is determined by the temperature. When the temperature is high, then the hatchling would most likely be a male. Temperature also affects the number of days when the egg will hatch. 

Releasing a pawikan

Oh, and by the way, the baby turtle above is an Olive Ridley turtle. Here are some facts about the Olive Ridley:

Common name: Olive Ridley

Scientific name: Lepidochelys olivacea 

Taxonomic classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Testudines

Family: Cheloniidae

Genus: Lepidochelys

Species: olivacea

They have a heart-shaped carapace (top-shell) and they also are one of the most abundant turtles in the world. They are also globally distributed in the tropical regions of the South, Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans and migrate great distances between feeding and breeding grounds.

We chose the "Olive Ridley" turtle since it was the kind of turtle that we released and they looked a bit kawaii cute. 

A small Olive Ridley turtle

Olive Ridley turtles are mostly carnivorous, since they mostly feed on snails, crabs, and shrimp. However, they occasionally feed on algae and seaweed. The hatchlings are usually preyed on by crabs, big fish, and birds and worse, many people smuggle them in order to make material items like bags and our garbage (mostly non-biodegradeable)  ends up in their habitat, which can kill them. :((((

We were all able to release a marine turtle hatchling and it was the kawaii cute Olive Ridley; however, Princess wasn't able to release an Olive Ridley because she was afraid to touch it!

So, that's all for now folks! Bye-bye! :D

Pawikan - "Turtle" in Tagalog

References:

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/oliveridley.htm