Climate Change Means 'Virtually No Male Turtles' Born In A Key Nesting Ground
Warming temperatures are having a profound and potentially devastating impact on one of the most important green sea turtle populations in the world.
Scientists were surprised to find that "virtually no male turtles" are being hatched in a key breeding ground in the northern Great Barrier Reef.
Like many reptiles, the sex of a turtle is determined by how warm the egg is as it's being incubated. And small temperature differences can cause dramatic changes in the male-to-female ratio.
Megan Nagel/USFWS