Turtles are the most threatened vertebrate (think backbone) group of species on the planet today. It is amazing to think that a taxa (classified in the order chelonians and including all turtles and tortoise species) with species that may live in oceans, rivers and land, and were on Earth at the time of the dinosaurs, is now in serious risk of extinction.
Of the approximately 320 chelonian species, half are approaching extinction and the causes are a testimony to human greed and carelessness. We use turtles as medicines, pets, and increasingly food, while we also kill them at an unprecedented rate using vehicles on the land and in water.
As for the global turtle crisis that is tied closely with the demand for food, many people are unfamiliar with the rate at which we ship live turtles out to other countries around the world to supply an ever expanding demand for turtles to end up on dinner plates. We are literally raping our rivers, oceans and even land; removing turtles that we just now are realizing may serve as ecosystem sentinels and engineers.
Dr. Sharon Deem has been working with many species of turtles since she was a little girl. Starting with helping turtles hurt in her hometown after then had a run in with a lawn mower or car to leading sea turtle health assessments in Africa and the Americas. Today she and her colleagues are introducing 1000s of school age children to turtles and tortoises. In these programs the team uses these iconic creatures to help let people understand the conservation challenges of today to simply getting them outside to enjoy nature.
Here we share a number of websites and scientific and layperson papers that Dr. Deem and her colleagues have published. You will learn great turtle facts while also learning how you too can learn how to help with turtle conservation.
Resources on turtle conservation and one health
why You Should Think Twice Before Adopting a Turtle As a Pet
If you have 10 minutes, please enjoy this video on turtle conservation and One Health.
And a second video we made in 2006 while living in Gabon, Africa and working to save leatherback turtles
Publications
Publications are available either on ResearchGate online or by simply sending an email to deemsharon@gmail.com.
Blake, S., Cabrera, F., Cruz, S., Ellis-Soto, D., Yackulic, C.B., Bastille-Rousseau, G., Gibbs, J.P., and Deem, S.L. Environmental Variation Structures Reproduction and Recruitment in Long-Lived Mega-Herbivores: Galapagos Giant Tortoises.” Ecological Monographs e1599. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1599
Blake, S., Cabrera, F., Rivas-Torres, G., Deem, S. L., Nieto-Claudin, A., Zahawi, R. A., & BastilleRousseau, G. (2024). Invasion by Cedrela odorata threatens long distance migration of Galapagos tortoises. Ecology and Evolution, 14, e10994. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10994
Apakupakul, K., Duncan, M., Subramaniam, K., Brenn-White, M., Palmer, J.L., Viadanna, P.H.O., Vann, J.A., Adamovicz, L., Waltzek, T.B., and Deem, S.L. Ranavirus (Frog Virus 3) Infection in Free-Living Three-Toed Box Turtles (Terrapene mexicana triunguis) in Missouri, USA. Journal of Wildlife Diseases. 60: 151-163.
Ramon-Gomez, K., Ron, S.R., Deem, S.L., Pike, K.N., Stevens, C., Izurieta, J.C., and Nieto-Claudin, N. 2023. Plastic ingestión in giant tortoises: An example of nove anthropogenic impact for Galapagos Wildlife. Environmental Pollution. 340: 122780.
Deem, S. L., Rivera, S., Nieto-Claudin, A., Emmel, E., Cabrera, F., & Blake, S. (2023). Temperature along an elevation gradient determines Galapagos tortoise sex ratios. Ecology and Evolution, 13, e10008. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10008
Blake, S., Palmer, J., Brenn-White, M., and Deem, S.L. 2023. Home ranges of box turtles in a rural woodland and an urban park in Saint Louis, MO; implications for turtle conservation. Urban Ecosystems. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-023-01354-8.
Pike, K. N., Blake, S., Gordon, I. J., Cabrera, F., Nieto-Claudin, A., Deem, S.L., Guezou, A., Schwarzkopf, L. 2022. Sharing land with giants: habitat preferences of Galapagos tortoises on farms. Global Ecology and Conservation. 37: e02171.
Winter, J.M., Wellehan, J.F.X., Apakupakul, K., Palmer, J., Brenn-White, M., Standorf, K., Berry, K.H., Childress, A.L., Koplos, P., Garner, M.M., and Deem, S.L. 2022. A novel herpesvirus detected in 3 different species of chelonians. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation. https://doi.org/10.1177/10406387221092048
Brenn-White, M., Raphael, B., Rakotoarisoa, N.A.T., and Deem, S.L. 2022. Hematology and biochemistry of critically endangered radiated tortoises (Astrochelys radiata): Reference intervals in previously confiscated subadults and variability based on common techniques. PLos ONE 17(3); e0264111. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264111.
Lamczyk, B.A., Palmer, J.L., Kozlowski, C.P., Blake, S., and Deem, S.L. 2022. No difference in corticosterone concentrations between Missouri three-toed box turtles living in an urban and a rural site. Human–Wildlife Interactions. 16(1) Article 14. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/hwi/vol16/iss1/14.
Nieto-Claudin, A., Esperón, F. Apakupakul, K. Peña, I., and Deem, S.L. 2021. Health assessments uncover novel viral sequences in five species of Galapagos tortoises. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases. Pp 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.14391
Blake, S., Deem, S., Nieto Claudin, A., and Claudin, F. 2021. The Galapagos Tortoise Movement Ecology Programme: what have we learned about tortoise movement and what does it mean for conservation? Testudo. 9 (3): 1-19.
Nieto Claudin, A., Deem, S.L., Rodríguez, C., Cano, S., Moity, N, Cabrera, F., and Esperón, F. 2021. Antimicrobial resistance in Galapagos tortoises as an indicator of the growing human footprint. Environmental Pollution 284 (10): 117453. 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117453
Nieto-Claudin, A., Palmer, J.L., Esperón, F., Deem, S.L. 2021. Haematology and plasma biochemistry reference intervals for the critically endangered western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoise (Chelonoidis porteri). Journal of Conservation Physiology. 10.1093/conphys/coab019
Emmel, E.S., Rivera, S., Cabrera, F., Blake, S., and Deem, S.L. 2020. Field anesthesia and gonadal morphology of immature western Santa Cruz tortoises (Chelonoidis poteri). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine. 51. 848-855.
Chen, T-Y, and Deem, S.L. 2019. Clinical Management of an Intranasal Abscess in a Captive Elongate Tortoise (Indotestudo elongate) by Using a Modified Choukroun’s Platelet-Rich Fibrin. Journal of Herpetological Medicine and Surgery. 29: 87-91. https://doi.org/10.5818/17-06-115.1
Palmer, J.L., Brenn-White, M., Blake, S., and Deem, S.L. 2019. Mortality of Three-Toed Box Turtles (Terrapene mexicana triunguis) at two sites in Missouri. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2019.00412
Boers, K.L., Allender, M.C., Novak, L.J., Palmer, J., Adamovicz, L., and Deem, S.L. 2019. Assessment of hematologic and corticosterone response in free‐living eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) at capture and after handling. Zoo Biology. 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21518
Nieto-Claudin, A., Esperon, F., Blake, S., and Deem, S.L. Antimicrobial resistance genes present in the faecal microbiota of free‐living Galapagos tortoises (Chelonoidis porteri). Zoonoses and Public Health. 2019; 00:1-9. https://doi.org/10.1111/zph.12639
Deem, S.L., 2017. Saving the World One Turtle at a Time: Galapagos to Box Turtles. In: North American Veterinary Conference: Small Animal and Exotics Proceedings. February 4-8, 2017, Orlando, Florida.
Deem, S.L., and Harris, H.S. Sea Turtle Health Assessments. 2017. In: Manire, C., Norton, T., and Stacy, B., Innis, C.J., and Harms, C.A. (eds.), Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation: A Complete Veterinary Guide. J. Ross Publishing. Pp. 945-957.
Palmer, J.L., Blake, S., Wellehan, J.F., Childress, A., and Deem, S.L. 2016. First reported clinical Mycoplasma sp. infections in free-living three-toed box turtles (Terrapene carolina triunguis) in Missouri. J. Wildl. Dis. 52: 378-382.
Adamovicz, L, Bronson, E., Barrett, K., and Deem, S.L. 2015. Health assessment of free-living Eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) in and around the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore 1996-2011. J. Zoo Wildl. Med. 46: 39-51.
Blake, S., Guézou, A., Deem, S.L., Yackulic, C.B., Cabrera, F. 2015. The dominance of introduced plant species in the diets of migratory Galapagos tortoises increases with elevation on a human-occupied island. Biotropica. 47: 246-258.
Jandegian, C.M., Deem, S.L., Bhandari, R.K., Holliday, C.M., Nicks, D., Rosenfeld, C.S., Selcer, K.W., Tillitt, D.E., vom Saal, F., Vélez-Rivera, V., Yang, Y., and Holliday, D.K. 2015. Developmental exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) alters sexual differentiation in painted turtles (Chrysemys picta). Gen. Compar. Endocrin. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25863134)
Bhandari, R.K., Deem, S.L, Holliday, D.K., Jandegian, C.M., Kassotis, C.D., Nagel, S.C., Tillitt, D.E., vom Saal, F.S., and Rosenfeld, C. S. 2015. Effects of the environmental estrogenic contaminants Bisphenol A and 17 Ethinyl Estradiol on sexual development and adult behaviors in aquatic wildlife species. General and Comparative Endocrinology. 214: 195-219.
Deem, S.L., Palmer, J.L., and Blake, S. 2014. St. Louis Box Turtle Project. Saint Louis Magazine. 30: 20-21.
Noss, A.J., Montaño, R.R., Soria, F., Deem, S.L., Fiorello, C.V., and Fitzgerald, L.A. 2013. Chelonoidis carbonaria (Testundines: Testudinidae) activity patterns and burrow use in the Bolivian Chaco. So. Am. J. Herpetol. 8: 19-28.
Montaño, R.R., Cuéllar, E., Fitzgerald, L.A., Soria, F., Mendoza, F., Peña, R., Dosapey, T., Deem, S.L., Noss, A.J. 2013. Ranging patterns by the red-footed tortoise - Geochelone carbonaria (Testundines: Testudinidae) in the Bolivian Chaco. Ecol. en Bolivia. 48: 17-30.
Deem, S.L., Norton, T.M., Mitchell, M., Segars, A., Alleman, A.R., Cray, C., Poppenga, R.H., Dodd, M., and Karesh, W.B. 2009. Comparison of blood values in foraging, nesting, and stranded loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) along the coast of Georgia, USA. J. Wildl. Dis. 45: 41-56.
Bourgeois, S., Gilot, E., Viallefont, A., Boussamba, F., and Deem, S.L. 2009. Influence of artificial lights, logs and erosion on leatherback sea turtle hatchling orientation at Pongara National Park, Gabon. Biol. Conserv. 142: 85-93.
Deem, S.L. 2009. Battle of the beaches. Africa Geographic. February: 39-41.
Deem, S.L., Boussamba, F., Nguema, A.Z., Sounguet, G.-P., Bourgeois, S., Cianciolo, J., and Formia, A. 2007. Artificial lights as a significant cause of morbidity of leatherback sea turtles in Pongara National Park, Gabon. Marine Turtle Newsletter. 116: 15-17.
Parnell, R., Verhage, B., Deem, S.L., Van Leeuwe, H., Nishihara, T., Moukoula, C., and Gibudi, A. 2007. Marine turtle mortality in southern Gabon and Northern Congo. Marine Turtle Newsletter. 116: 12-14.
Formia, A., Deem, S., Billes, A., Ngouessono, S., Parnell, R., Collins, T., Sounguet, G.-P., Gibudi, A., Villarubia, A., Balazs, G.H., and Spraker, T.R. 2007. Fibropapillomatosis confirmed in the Gulf of Guinea, West Africa. Marine Turtle Newsletter. 116: 20-22.
Deem, S.L., Dierenfeld, E.S., Sounget, G.P., Alleman, A.R., Cray, C., Poppenga, R.H., Norton, T.M., and Karesh, W.B. 2006. Blood values in free-ranging nesting leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) on the coast of the Republic of Gabon. J. Zoo Wildl. Med. 37: 464-471.
Deem, S.L. 2003. Synthèse des connaissances acquises sur les tortues marines du golfe de Guinée au cours des dix dernières années. Canopée. 23: NDIVA I-II.