Conserve The Pawikan!

      Aloha readers and fellow bloggers! The iBloggers are here to talk about the endangered pawikan.
   
      Marine turtles or pawikan, as you may know, is an endangered species. Why are they endangered? Well, the biggest threat to their existence is mankind. These gentle creatures' eggs are stolen, and the marine turtles themselves are poached and hunted by the thousands. Their habitat is littered with man's garbage. Did you know that marine turtles sometimes mistake floating plastic bags for jellyfish? Yes, they eat these and then they die. Beach armoring and nourishment  damage their nesting sites. Even our street lamps and building lights which seem harmless to us has a disorienting effect on little turtles.

Ozone depletion

     Another major predicament for marine turtles is global warming. But what is global warming? Global warming is when the Earth's temperature rises. It happens when greenhouse gasses (carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide and methane) trap the heat and light from the sun in the Earth's atmosphere, increasing the temperature. Global warming has happened several times in the past, so the Earth is used to it. We, on the other hand are not.  To make matters worse, man is speeding up the process by a few hundred times by smoking, smoke belching, littering, and many other little things that man does. Another effect of global warming is ozone depletion, where the ozone layer in the atmosphere thins and allows the ultraviolet rays (which can cause skin cancer) to enter the atmosphere. Ozone depletion is mainly caused by spray-type materials such as haircare products and air conditioners that contain chlorofluorocarbon. One of the most affected organisms is none other than the sea turtles. Did you know that a change in temperature can affect the gender of the hatchlings? Eggs incubated higher than 30° C result into females and those below 30° C result into males. And, a temperature of about 38° C is lethal for sea grass which is the main food source for sea turtles (as well as the breeding ground of many marine organisms).

turtle eating sea grass

     Some might say, "Why are we trying so hard to protect something that hasn't done a thing for us?" Well actually, sea turtles do a lot for marine ecosystem. Most of the world's marine organisms use sea grass beds for developmental and breeding grounds, and to keep sea grass healthy. In short, sea turtles feed mainly on sea grass, thus making most marine wildlife depend on it to maintain their sea grass beds short and healthy. They also feed on jellyfishes and crabs so they won't overpopulate the marine ecosystem. Sea turtles are immune to the sting of the deadly box jellyfish. As a matter of fact, they eat them regularly, thus making the coastal waters safe for mankind. Hawksbill turtles, which feed on sponges and corals, are believed to play a major role in maintaining the health and diversity of coral reef systems. Sea turtles are the only marine species that regularly transfer nutrients to the upland coastal habitat.

Is that a jellyfish? Om nom nom...

     Now that you know how helpful these turtles are and how much endangered they are, we would like to encourage you, dear readers, to help save the pawikan. How, you might ask? Do not litter. A seemingly harmless plastic bag turns lethal when mistaken as food by the turtles. You can also participate in coastal clean-ups done by various organizations. Or better yet, you can organize your own coastal clean-up together with your classmates and friends. What can be more fun than spending the day by the beach with friends. Sure, you have to work but doesn't any load get lighter when there's good company around? Also, don't buy any products that are made from pawikan shells, eggs, or meat. Buying these would only encourage the hunting and poaching of more turtles. Do not be afraid to report anyone who is collecting the eggs,  or illegally catching and hunting the turtles. You can report them to the nearest DENR office or to the Pawikan Conservation Center (PCC) in Morong, Bataan. Contact details and more information can be found on the PCC's official website. Oh, before we forget, you can adopt a hatchling (for a minimum fee of only P50.00) and help release them into the ocean. The light-hearted feeling you get when you watch those cute, little hatchlings scamper off to the water is beyond words.  


Remember, the pawikan need your help! 

Until our next post!

Stop! Pawikan crossing!

     Greetings again faithful readers and fellow bloggers! The iBloggers are back to talk about our latest expedition to the Pawikan Conservation Center (PCC) in Morong, Bataan which was planned and executed by His Coolness, the Urban Guru. We woke up hours before the rooster did for an early start. Together with our batch mates, we took off and drove for over three hours to Morong, Bataan where we hoped to learn about the endangered pawikan at the PCC. Excitement replaced sleepiness as we reached closer and closer to our destination. Grinning from ear to ear, we were looking forward to entering the PCC where we will be able to release pawikan or marine turtle hatchlings into the sea. We were expecting that to be the highlight of our trip.

Pawikan Hatchery

    Upon our arrival to the PCC, we were tongue-tied by the beautiful bamboo huts that were built beside a vast, marvelous beach with stark white sand (which just so happens to be the favorite kind of sand for most marine turtles). Most of us had to exercise a lot of self-control to stop ourselves from diving into the crystal clear waters. There were posters about the marine turtles all over the place and a small pool which served as the home of two injured Olive Ridley Turtles. At the center of the structure, there was a huge diorama that showed the life cycle of the marine turtles. There was also this Pawikan Hatchery where they put the eggs of the marine turtles. The manager of the place, Mr. Ibias, lectured us about the pawikan.

     During his lecture, all of us were shocked to know how much in danger these marine turtles are. Right after these little hatchlings have climbed out of their nest and onto the beach, they are already in danger of being eaten by predators such as the ghost crabs, eagles, and lizards (bayawak). They can also be eaten by large fishes once they get into the sea. But, these are only minor threats. The biggest threat of all to the marine turtles is mankind. Poachers kill these innocent turtles for their precious shells which are made into bangles, frames, glasses, bracelets, ornaments, and many more. Some even make turtle soup out of these animals! There are also people who gather their eggs to be sold and eaten. Although such actions are illegal, the law is barely enforced. Sometimes, these turtles get caught in fishing nets and they get hit by boats.

     Mr. Ibias told us about the different species of marine turtles. From the seven species of pawikan, only five can be spotted in the Philippines. These are the Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas), the Loggerhead (Caretta caretta), the Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricate), and the Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea). Of the five different species found in the Philippines, only one species can be seen at the PCC. This is the Olive Ridley Turtle.

Olive Ridley Turtle

Common name: Olive Ridley Turtle
Scientific name: Lepidochelys olivacea
Taxonomic classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:         Chordata
Class:         Reptilia
Order:        Testudines
Family:        Cheloniidae
Genus:        Lepidochelys
Species:        L. olivacea


     Olive Ridley turtles are named for their olive-colored shell. They are small turtles and weigh less than 100 pounds. They are found in tropical regions around the world. These turtles are predominantly carnivorous especially during early stages of life when their diet consists mostly of crabs, shrimp, rock lobsters (yeah, cool dudes), jellyfish, and other invertebrates. They also eat algae. When nesting, females come to shore in colonies of up to a thousand turtles and have mass nesting aggregations called arribadas.

Olive Ridley Hatchlings

     Did you know that the brain of the baby turtle has the ability to memorize the location of their place of birth, to which they will return to lay their eggs? This is called an imprinting process. (Impressive! We can't even remember where we placed the TV remote.) Another interesting thing about these babies is that after they have reached the sea, they swim non-stop for 5-7 weeks (beat that Michael Phelps)! They don't eat either because they have a yolk sack on their bellies which feeds them the entire time.

Euxine with a hatchling

    All of us got to release little Olive Ridley hatchlings and that was probably the best part. We heard some friends sighing, "Oh, they grow up so fast!" which is ironic since it takes them some 20-50 years to reach maturity.

    The trip was fun and it completely exceeded our expectations. The iBloggers, along with their friends, had a great time at the PCC and learned so much. Hope you enjoyed reading and until our next adventure!

We are Legen- Wait for it- Dary

Bloggers at Work

     Hello fellow bloggers! Welcome to iBlog. Let's start off with a brief introduction of ourselves...

      Lionhart is the "Little but Awesome" creative master at photoshop. He enjoys watching the cartoon show, Adventure Time. The Minecraft fan is very adept and experienced in making pixel art. He loves to photoshop and slightly distort the many pictures of his classmates and then post them on Facebook. He also loves to listen to techno music and dubstep, but he also enjoys some genres such as orchestral or rock.

     Kurt_Cobain94 is a vigilant sports fan and a future Paul Mcartney. Even though he is popularly called "Pimple Face", his has captured the hearts of many girls. He has a marvelous voice and is incredibly talented in  sports. He can shoot a 3-pointer while singing a song by Coldplay. The lad loves many of the old artists and bands including The Beatles, Nirvana, and many more.

    pRiNnyThE is the artistic gamer of the group. He is both a master with the pen and the video game console. This anime-loving guy loves listening to Japanese music like Wasurenagusa and Bouken Houkiboshi. He can draw nearly any cartoon you choose with great accuracy. He is quite experienced in using redstone and making traps in Minecraft. His stats in Disgaea and the Final Fantasy series sky rocket to the million points. 

    Arketa is the sassy fashionista. Her idol is none other than Audrey Hepburn. She is a big fan of the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. Her charming personality has caught the attention of many boys. She loves to read and she dreams of travelling around the world someday.

    Euxine is the serious bookworm. She adores reading the Hunger Games series and she dreams of going to school at Hogwarts and spending the summer at Camp Half-Blood. Though she may seem over imaginative and would rather be alone, she actually enjoys the company of friends. She is also one of the most active users of Facebook among her batchmates.

   Now that you have an inside look on our personalities, we are here to tell you the reason why we created this blog. We want to share with you our experiences and what these have taught us about science. You can read about our many expeditions and what we have learned (as well as unlearned and refused to learn). We hope that you will have fun reading our blog as much as we had fun living and writing it!