Hi my name is Logg and I'm a Loggerhead Turtle. I m going to take you on a tour of...the MEDITERRANEAN SEA and its endangered creatures!!

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1 Hi my name is Logg and I'm a Loggerhead Turtle. I m going to take you on a tour of...the MEDITERRANEAN SEA and its endangered creatures!! Now, you ll see me on the next page, where I am going to tell you about us Mediterranean Loggerhead Turtles.

2 Loggerhead Turtle - We threatened reptiles live in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the Black Sea and Atlantic Ocean. We were once intensively hunted for our meat and eggs, and our fat was also used in the cosmetic industry.

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4 Many of us die caught in the fishing nets of crab fishers and because the humans are silly...

5 Now I am going to introduce you to my friend Sealy. He is a Monk Seal.

6 Monk Seal -The Mediterranean monk seal was first described by Aristotle in the third century B.C. Once abundant in some areas of the Pacific, Caribbean and Mediterranean seas, there are only a few remaining in the wild today.

7 The Mediterranean monk seal has been classified as endangered since 1966 but numbers have continued to drop. The biggest problem is fishing. Also, in many cases, people destroy or change their habitat because of development of tourism, human population growth, boat traffic, overfishing of the monk seal s prey and pollution (waste from factories, agricultural poisons).

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9 Now say hi to my other friend Beak. He is a Short-Beaked Dolphin.

10 Short-beaked common dolphins Common dolphins were widespread and abundant in much of the Mediterranean Sea until the late 1960s. Today, common dolphins remain relatively abundant only in the Alboràn Sea and with concentrations around the Maltese islands and in parts of the Aegean Sea.

11 Common dolphins are usually found in large herds of hundreds. They are extremely active and fast moving and are noted for riding waves of boats. The rapid decline in common dolphin numbers seems to be because of reduced availability of prey (caused by overfishing and habitat degradation) and pollution. Changes in the environment, like the greenhouse effect, have also contributed to its decline.

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13 Now say hi to Dusk. He is a Dusky Grouper.

14 Dusky grouper The dusky grouper is present in the whole of the Mediterranean. It lives near the rocky bottom around poseidonia sea grass and eel grass. Young fish stay near the coast whereas older fish can live at a depth of 200 metres.

15 The grouper is hunted because it is considered as a precious food fish. Measures have been taken to get a better knowledge of this fish and to assess the impact of human activities (fishing, underwater hunting, installations).

16 In many areas the grouper has been protected from underwater hunting. Thanks to these protective measures, populations of groupers are increasing and young fish (females) are reappearing, enabling this species to breed.

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18 Now say hi to my Best pal Leatherback. She s a Leatherback Turtle.

19 Leatherback Turtle The Leatherback Sea-Turtle is by far the world's largest seaturtle, typically weighing pounds and some have tipped the scales at 2000 pounds. It feeds on jellyfish and can dive up to 3200 feet deep in search of giant jellyfish.

20 A big problem for leatherbacks is the presence of rubber balloons or plastic bags as garbage at sea. Leatherbacks can mistake this trash for jellyfish and die of internal blockage.

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22 Now say hi to Fin. He is a Fin Whale.

23 Fin Whale The Fin whale is the second largest animal after the Blue Whale. It can grow to a length of 26m (85ft) and weigh tonnes but on the average it is much smaller.

24 When the stocks of blue whales became severely reduced from commercial whaling, attention turned to the other whales, in particular the Fin whales. Despite becoming a protected species in the 1976, the damage had already been done. The estimated current population worldwide is between ,000 animals. It is doubtful that this species will return to original population levels.

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26 Give a round of applause to the sharks. First meet Big Blue. He is a Blue Shark.

27 The Mediterranean Sea is considered as one of the world s most dangerous places on Earth for sharks and rays due to: intense fishing of the seabed habitat degradation recreational fisheries

28 In total, 30 species of sharks, rays and chimaeras are threatened with extinction in the region, of which thirteen are classified at the highest threat level of critically endangered, eight as endangered and nine as vulnerable including : Sanbar Shark

29 Shortfin Mako Porbeagle

30 Angel Shark Angular Roughshark Most sharks play key roles as top predators in marine food webs. By feeding on the weak and wounded of prey, sharks help maintain ocean environment function.

31 Meet Skaty. She is a Maltese Skate.

32 The Maltese Skate, found only in the Mediterranean, is assessed as Critically Endangered. Bottom trawl fisheries are the main cause for population declines of 80%.

33 Meet Giant. She is a giant devil ray.

34 The giant devil ray, which occurs primarily in the Mediterranean, is considered to be endangered. Females can grow to five metres (17 feet) and give birth to only one pup per pregnancy. Their large size makes them vulnerable to capture and entanglement in fish nets, including illegal driftnets. They are protected in waters around Malta and Croatia.

35 Sea Plants Not only us sea animals are endangered. But also sea plants, like the Red Coral,Pen Shell and Poseidonia and more plants like that. Let me introduce you to some plant friends of mine.

36 This is my friend Kuraal. She is a Red Coral.

37 Red coral The Mediterranean red coral has long been used for the manufacture of ornaments and semi-precious jewellery. Sewage and other forms of pollution can also affect its growth. Heavy towed fishing gear can damage coral populations. Other suspected causes of damage include unusually high seawater temperatures.

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39 This is my pal Posit. She's a Posidonia sea-grass.

40 Poseidonia It is a slow-growing submerged marine flowering plant (not an alga), which forms vast underwater beds of thick meadows from 1 to 40 m depth. It has green leaves, reaching 1m in length. The Poseidonia has green flowers and fruits that look like green olives.

41 Poseidonia can live only if it has a lot of light, and therefore where the transparency of waters is good. Where the water becomes muddy, the light does not penetrate into the deep and the Poseidonia beds are endangered. In addition to other threats, Poseidonia beds are being invaded and choked by a fast growing tropical green alga, which was accidentally introduced to the northern Mediterranean in 1984, where it is now spreading rapidly.

42 Now I want to show you my Friend Pennie. She's a Pen Shell.

43 Pen shell Ancient artisans used the fine strong threads of the noble pen shell to make the legendary sea silk. The decline in populations of pen shell is partly due to the decline in the poseidonia oceanic sea grass meadows.

44 Now not all humans want to harm us. That's what Pennie told me and she gave me a poster about plastic. Let me show it to you. She also told me that some humans try to help us. In fact there are humans who clean beaches so that the plastic does not go into the sea. In this way we do not eat it or it does not cover any sea plants or a little fish does not get trapped in a bottle. She sent me this photo.

45 DO WANT TO HELP US? HERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO Be careful where you place beach umbrellas - check that you are not putting them on a turtle nest and put them down at night. Kick down your sandcastles as you leave. They can prove a huge obstacle to our baby turtles struggling to find the sea. Just think - knocking sandcastles down can almost be as much fun as making them! Do not leave rubbish on the beach! Plastic bags, balloons and other litter can be mistaken by us sea creatures as food and we can suffocate or be poisoned (not a nice way to die).

46 Try not to take pets on beaches where you know there are turtles as they can disturb the nests. However if it is unavoidable keep dogs on a leash. Do not drive or park on the beach - as this can crush nests and turtles. Also respect that water sports are restricted on many beaches.

47 GLOSSARY Agricultural to do with agriculture (farming or growing food on the land) Availability how easily you can find or get something Breed to produce offspring (young animal) Classify to classify things is to put them in classes or groups Commercial to catch whales for profit whaling Degradation dreadful conditions or ruin Greenhouse the warming of the earth s surface by gases such as methane and effect carbon dioxide, which trap heat in the Earth s atmosphere Habitat an animal s or plant s habitat is the place where it naturally lives or grows Pollution the process of making the air, water and soil dirty or impure Prey an animal that is hunted or killed by another animal for food Recreational fishing for pleasure and competition fisheries Submerged underwater

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