Analysis of the food content of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) killed in strandings on the Peruíbe Coast, south coast of São Paulo. Q. L. Edris, C. S. Leite, C. S.A. Silva, L. F. Melo, C. Fanelli

Abstract

Five of the seven currently known species of sea turtles occur on the Brazilian coast. One of them, the Chelonia mydas, known as the "green turtle", is the most commonly observed specie in the seacoast of Peruíbe, a turistic city located in the South coast of the state of São Paulo, in the Southeast of Brazil. Since juvenile and adult green turtles feed on sea grass and algae, they are usually seen in tropical and subtropical waters, close to Brazilian beaches, islands and rocky shores. In the last decades, there was a significant increase in human occupation of these regions, specially due to tourism exploitation, but also related to industrial development and by the population growth itself. One of the most devastating consequences of human occupation of natural environments is the increase of the amount of anthropogenic solid waste, specially plastic material and other petroleum products. The aim of the present study was to analyze the gastrointestinal contents of dead green turtles, found stranded on the coast of Peruíbe, in order to describe their eating habits and also to detect the ingestion of anthropogenic inorganic solid waste by these animals. Our results demonstrated for the first time that  almost 70% of the green turtles collected in Peruibe and included in this study had large amounts of anthropogenic plastic debris in their gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, at least one of the animals analyzed probably died due the ingested plastic material. Such findings clearly demonstrate the negative effects of  human garbage on the marine fauna of Peruíbe, and highlights the need for population awareness and for the adoption of urgent measures to minimize the impact of litter on the city.