The Sea Turtle Cheat Code

Check out the WWF's Living Planet Report 2026 here: https://wwf.to/LPR2026 Over the past few decades, the number of green sea turtles has risen so much that the species has gone from being listed as “endangered” to a species of “least concern.” Sea turtles have become a poster child for conservation – and it seems like we could use what we’ve learned from saving them to save a bunch of other species too…but it turns out it’s not that simple. LEARN MORE ************** To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords: - Life history: The overall pattern of changes, growth, survival, and reproduction that a living organism experiences from birth to natural death. - Bycatch: Animals inadvertently caught by humans trying to catch something else. - IUCN Red List: The current most comprehensive inventory for tracking the global conservation status and extinction risk of species. - Natal homing: The process by which adult female turtles return to nest on or near the beach where they hatched. - Mast year: A year when certain trees produce a huge crop of fruit or seeds all at once. Kākāpō only breed in rimu mast years, every 2 to 4 years. If you liked this week’s video, you might also like: https://youtu.be/2e-6XzV2gKQ?si=9Qjxo-4dCaL4QCv2 SUPPORT MINUTEEARTH ************************** If you like what we do, you can help us!: - Become our patron: https://patreon.com/MinuteEarth - Our merch: store.dftba.com/me - Our book: https://minuteearth.com/books - Sign up to our newsletter: http://news.minuteearth.com - Share this video with your friends and family - Leave us a comment (we read them!) CREDITS ********* David Goldenberg | Script Writer, Narrator and Director Arcadi Garcia i Rius | Storyboard Artist Sarah Berman | Illustration, Video Editing and Animation Nathaniel Schroeder | Music MinuteEarth is produced by Neptune Studios LLC https://neptunestudios.info OUR STAFF ************ Lizah van der Aart • Sarah Berman • Cameron Duke Arcadi Garcia i Rius • David Goldenberg • Melissa Hayes Henry Reich • Ever Salazar • Leonardo Souza • Kate Yoshida OUR LINKS ************ Youtube | https://youtube.com/MinuteEarth TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@minuteearth Twitter | https://twitter.com/MinuteEarth Instagram | https://instagram.com/minute_earth Facebook | https://facebook.com/Minuteearth Website | https://minuteearth.com Apple Podcasts| https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/minuteearth/id649211176 REFERENCES ************** Armstrong, Olivia H., et al. Illegal Wildlife Trade: Baseline for Monitoring and Law Enforcement in the Sulu-Celebes Seas. TRAFFIC, 2023. https://www.traffic.org/publications/reports/iwt-in-sulu-celebes-seas-2023/ Jensen, Michael P., et al. “ShellBank: Traceability Toolkit and Global Database of Marine Turtle DNA.” Frontiers in Marine Science, vol. 13, 2026, article 1819114, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2026.1819114 Madden, Christine. Global Marine Turtle Conservation Lead, WWF. Personal interview. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. International Union for Conservation of Nature. https://www.iucnredlist.org “Red List Assessments.” IUCN-SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group. https://www.iucn-mtsg.org/statuses Shaw, Rebecca. Chief Scientist, WWF. Personal interview. “Solar-Powered Lights on Fishing Nets Cut Sea Turtle Entanglement by 63%.” Phys.org, 15 Oct. 2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-solar-powered-fishing-nets-sea.html Villafáfila, M., et al. “Mitigating the Effect of By-Catch on Endangered Marine Life.” Animal Conservation, vol. 28, no. 2, 2025, pp. 172-184. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12968 Wallace, B. P., et al. “Updated Global Conservation Status and Priorities for Marine Turtles.” Endangered Species Research, vol. 56, 2025, pp. 247-276, https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01385