turtles

3-D Printer Used To Create Titanium Turtle Jaw

How do you make a prosthetic jaw strong enough to survive in the ocean but light enough to allow freedom of movement? You start with a 3-D printer. Shaping metal to such exacting specifications would, in other times, have been the work of a skilled artisan; recently, thanks to advances in 3-D printing technology, researchers were able to create a functional prosthesis for an injured turtle in only two months.

There was just one question: Who had the expertise to meld together industrial fabrication with veterinary science?

Enter BTech Innovations. This Turkish medical biotechnology corporation specializes in crafting custom-designed prostheses and implants. It began by performing a series of detailed CT scans to map the structure of the turtle’s jaw and skull; with that information, the BTech team created a bespoke virtual prosthesis that perfectly matched the contours of the wounded turtle’s face.

The turtle — named AKUT3 by its rescuers at Pamukkale University’s Sea Turtle Research, Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Pamukkale, Turkey — was maimed last year by a boat propeller while swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. Jagged scars ran across its upper and lower jaws where the errant propeller had shorn away nearly half of its mouth. Without a prosthesis, AKUT3 would never eat on its own again.

After a two-and-a-half hour surgery, AKUT3 emerged from the operating room as the first of its species to benefit from 3-D printing techniques — but he’s not the first turtle to sport a prosthesis.

That title goes to Allison, a loggerhead sea turtle living at the Sea Turtle Inc. rehabilitation center at South Padre Island, Texas. Allison lost three of her fins to a shark attack in 2005. With only one functional limb, she could barely swim.

A solution wasn’t discovered until Jef George, the director of Sea Turtle Inc. reached out to a retired engineer. The engineer crafted a special dorsal-fin prosthesis that wrapped around Allison’s shell and provided the stability necessary for the turtle to swim in something other than circles.
What surprised George most was not how the pros- thesis helped Allison, but how Allison’s prosthesis made her visitors feel.

“The thing that surprised me most is how quickly Allison is able to form a bond with people with prosthetic devices,” George says. “There is a bond when people like veterans come to our center, people wounded by life, and they see how Allison has persevered.”

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The Sea Turtle Conservancy: Helping Endangered Turtles since 1959

A young sea turtle near the surface.

David Doubilet / National Geographic Creative

Troubled Turtles
Of the seven species of sea turtle, four are endangered and two are listed as vulnerable.

Mission: Ensuring the survival of sea turtles in the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific through research, education, training, advocacy and protection of their natural habitats.
HQ: Gainesville, Florida
Year Started: 1959
Contact: stc@conserveturtles.org
Project: The Sea Turtle Conservancy is the world’s oldest conservation group of its kind; it works to protect these ancient reptiles through local initiatives and global expeditions in the areas of the world where turtles are most in need.

1. ADOPT A TURTLE
Not to worry, you won’t need to find space in your house for this kind of adoption. But for $30 or more, you can symbolically adopt a sea turtle for yourself or a friend to help ensure that turtle’s survival. Once you’ve adopted your turtle, you’ll receive a host of gifts, including a personalized adoption certificate, a guide to sea turtle conservation, a window cling and other turtle-related memorabilia.

2. GET TRASHY
The abundance of plastic garbage in the ocean is detrimental to all marine species, but this waste plagues turtles in particular. Reduce, reuse and recycle plastic materials topside — especially balloons, which sea turtles often eat by mistake — and encourage your community to do the same. Divers have the opportunity to take this a step further by removing trash and plastic waste found below the surface.

3. BE ADVENTUROUS
Need an excuse to travel? Reserve a spot on an Eco-Volunteer Adventure to Costa Rica! By participating in one of the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s volunteer programs, you’ll have the unique opportunity to locate, tag and record data on leatherback or green sea turtles during a session that lasts between one and three weeks. Prices for these all-inclusive trips range between $1,439 and $2,549 per person.

For more information, visit http://conserveturtles.org/

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Make a Difference in the Life of a Sea Turtle

Guest Post by Contiki Vacations Storytelling has the powerful ability to inspire change, so Contiki sought out 12 storytellers together to highlight a partnership between Costa Rica’s Sea Turtle Conservancy and Contiki Cares, powered by Treadright. The 12 storytellers were an influential group of bloggers, filmmakers, photographers and social media […]

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