Baby turtles are 'almost four times as likely to die from eating plastic than adults'

  • 5 years ago
Baby turtles are almost four times as likely to die from eating plastic than adults, warns new research. They drift with currents due to their weaker bodies and feed in offshore waters closer to the surface which are more likely to be contaminated with large plastic items that can accumulate in their digestive tracts, or cause perforation. Post mortems on almost 1,000 dead turtles found more than half of babies - and about a quarter of juveniles - had swallowed plastic, compared to just one in seven adults. The count and mass of plastic ingested ranged from one to 329 pieces and weighed up to 10.41g (0.4 ounces).

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