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Two-headed turtle hatchling in the egg. Image.

A Two-Headed Turtle Hatchling: A Rare Occurrence Of Polycephaly

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Sometimes nature doesn’t always get everything right! The ORP team at Coco Palm Dhuni Kohlu recently discovered a green sea turtle hatchling with a very unusual abnormality during a routine excavation of a hatched turtle nest: a two-headed hatchling. The hatchling had sadly died within its egg and never hatched, but that didn’t stop it from giving us all a huge surprise. The experience also served as an interesting reminder of the intrigues of the natural world.

Turtle Book Club: Conservation

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This time the Turtle Book Club focuses on books about turtle conservation. With six out of seven species of sea turtles threatened with extinction, conservation is a key aspect of sea turtle science. These books include stories from the roots of sea turtle conservation in the Atlantic, the Pacific, and also in the Indian Ocean. As turtles are only one part of the global ecosystem, we also encourage a closer look into the philosophical background around all of conservation.

Sea turtle science book covers. Image.

Turtle Book Club: Turtle Science

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In this edition of the ORP Turtle Book Club we feature books for readers with a specific interest in the science surrounding turtles and their biology. Looking for a good book on sea turtle biology for a presentation at school? Working on a paper for comparative anatomy at uni? Wolfing down all the literature you can find surrounding your favourite animals? We have some great turtle science book recommendations for you!

General turtle stories book covers. Image.

Turtle Book Club: General Turtle Stories

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In this week’s Turtle Book Club we move on from children’s books to turtle stories aimed at an older audience. In these various works of prose, the authors invite readers on a trip around the world through developments in sea turtle science, a true crime story (involving turtles), turtle-centric holidays, and a young boy’s life journey.

Children's turtle books. Image.

Turtle Book Club: Children’s Books

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This edition of turtle book club is aimed at the youngest turtle fans and their parents. All the books recommended are short, large format and mainly picture books which are ideal for very young kids to read to, for early learners or avid young readers. They contain engaging stories from different sea turtles and show their life’s and different environments. We hope you will enjoy these reads together with your kids!

Green turtle shell, image

How The Turtle Got Its Shell

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Turtles are a unique group of vertebrates. Their most striking feature is by far the shell. It is what makes them so easily recognizable as turtles, but how did turtles end up with their shell? This is still an area of great research interest and strongly debated in the scientific community. In this article, we will show you some of the highlights surrounding the research of turtle evolution.

Becoming A Marine Biologist In Kenya

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Leah Mainye, a young Marine Biologist from Kenya, joined ORP’s team in December 2019 as an in-water turtle monitoring assistant. Find out how she started her career in Marine Biology, her experience working with ORP’s team in Diani Beach, and some of the ups and downs of choosing this career.

Olive ridley sea turtle pulling ghost gear under water Maldives

Turning The Tide On Ghost Gear

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IPNLF and ORP pledge to jointly tackle the scourge of lost and abandoned fishing gear that’s haunting environmentally critical marine life and habitats. The partnership builds on the recently announced initiative to collect and upcycle ghost gear, funded by the inaugural Joanna Toole Ghost Gear Solutions Award.

Interning With The Olive Ridley Project

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Karam is a 23-year-old veterinary student at University of Sydney, Australia. She has wanted to be a vet for as long as she can remember and in 2016 she became the first government sponsored veterinary student in the Maldives. Karam chose to spend part of her university required placement interning at the Rescue Centre.

ORP’s Women In Science

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Worldwide less than 30 percent of researchers are women. And according to UNESCO data (2014 – 2016), only around 5 per cent of all female students select the natural science fields in higher education globally. Here at ORP we have 85% female scientists on our team! They come from 6 different countries with varied backgrounds. But they all love sea turtles.