New Insights into Juvenile Leatherback Dietary Habits
Non-profit environmental organizations are often looking for ways to further engage individuals in participating in, and learning about, nature. Mobile and online technology may prove to be one way to create an interactive, educational experience that environmental organizations can use to engage a broad audience. Leatherbacks are a unique, poorly understood, and extremely endangered species. Not only should leatherbacks be conserved for their own sake, but also because it is likely that the species has influence over the current biological equilibrium found in the pelagic ecosystem. Due to our limited knowledge of the ocean in general, the impact of losing leatherbacks cannot be predicted. To facilitate global population recovery, it is important to understand more about the species and, thus, be able to create more effective conservation strategies. Dietary studies are particularly important since the scientific literature suggests that access to appropriate nutrition is a limiting factor for those populations declining fastest.
