«——【Preamble】】 ——»
In 2012, the world's loneliest tortoise passed away, and the loneliest creature was transferred to the turtle population.
It is a rare animal with a large body and a long history. And now, the world's only two remaining turtles are silently defending the last dignity of this species.
«——【·Madarafu】】 ——»
The turtle is arguably one of the oldest creatures on Earth. Its ancestors can be traced back to the Triassic period, 200 million years ago, when dinosaurs were still rampant. However, the turtle survived the catastrophe that was enough to destroy life and has survived to this day.
Looking at the vicissitudes of the turtle's appearance, it looks like an old man who has been through vicissitudes but is tenacious. The patterns on their backs seem to record the ups and downs of hundreds of millions of years, and those small eyes seem to be shining with the light of ancient wisdom.
These behemoths roam between rivers and lakes all year round. Once the overlords of the water, they are now the last of the aquariums. One by one, the beautiful legends of life are silently coming to an end.
Rafetus swinhoei, scientific name, is an extremely rare freshwater turtle of the genus Rafetus swinhoei.
This large crustacean has a place in the history of biology and culture with its long history and rare status.
With dorsal carapaces up to 1 meter long and weighing more than 100 kilograms, the adult turtle is one of the largest freshwater turtles and turtles in existence.
The body color of the turtle is mainly dark green or grayish-black, with markings scattered on the dorsal carapace, while the head and limbs often show bright yellow or orange spots.
This remarkable color change not only gives the turtle a certain camouflage ability in the natural environment, but also increases its attractiveness in viewing.
«——【·Cultural Origin·】——»
In China, the turtle is widely recorded in ancient literature, such as in the Book of Songs and the ancient naturalist Erya Wing, which have descriptions of this large turtle.
Also on the mainland, turtles are regarded as the prototype of Xuanwu, one of the four spirits, and they carry the cultural spirit and traditional wisdom of the Chinese nation for thousands of years.
The ancients had an extraordinary reverence for turtles, seeing them as a symbol of well-being and good fortune. Legend has it that the turtle once borrowed a sword from the Vietnamese people to help them repel the invading Ming Dynasty army and become a national hero. The Vietnamese even revere the turtle as the patron saint of the country.
In these legends, turtles are regarded as mysterious and powerful creatures, alongside turtles and turtles, but with a larger size and more unique habits.
Mainly found on the mainland and parts of Vietnam, the turtle was once not a rare species.
However, due to habitat loss and environmental pollution, the natural population of this creature has been extremely reduced.
In addition, the low reproduction rate of the turtle, coupled with the deterioration of its living environment, has led to a continuous decline in its population, and there are currently only a few known individuals in the world.
«——【Tragic Causes·】——»
Why do we see turtles in a desperate situation? The deterioration of the ecological environment is the fuse, and human beings are the main culprits in this tragedy.
The turtle has a long reproductive and growth cycle and late sexual maturity, which further exacerbates its endangered status. Due to the similarity of both juvenile and adult turtles to other species of turtles, turtles were often mistaken for the more common turtle turtle or Chinese turtle in the past, which also led to a long-term neglect of its population status.
It was not until the 1990s that scientists officially recognized the turtle as an independent species through genetic and morphological studies, and thus began to pay attention to its conservation status and promote conservation actions.
Although it is now listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is protected at national level, it is already too late.
The urgency of protecting turtles requires global cooperation and long-term scientific research efforts to ensure that this symbol of biodiversity continues to survive on Earth.
«——【·Influence of Human Activities·】——»
Human activities have a profound impact on the survival of turtles, mainly in the destruction of habitats, direct hunting and indirect environmental pollution. Each activity has invisibly accelerated the ancient species to the brink of extinction.
First of all, habitat destruction is a major reason for the endangerment of turtles. With the rapid economic development of China and Vietnam, industrialization and urbanization have accelerated, and a large number of natural lakes, rivers and wetlands have been converted into farmland, industrial areas and residential areas.
For example, Taihu Lake, one of the main habitats of turtles, has suffered serious deterioration in water quality and eutrophication in recent decades due to the massive discharge of industrial wastewater and agricultural fertilizers. This not only reduces the food source of the turtles, but also destroys their breeding environment.
Secondly, direct hunting poses a direct threat to the survival of turtles.
This is despite the fact that the mainland law has long listed the turtle as a first-class protected animal and prohibits any form of capture and trade.
However, the turtle is rare and is considered to have medicinal value and is expensive, so illegal hunting is common.
In addition, environmental pollution is also a factor that cannot be ignored. With the development of heavy industry and the extensive use of agricultural fertilizers and pesticides, the concentration of toxic substances in the water where the turtle lives has increased significantly.
These toxic substances can accumulate through the food chain and have long-term and far-reaching effects on the health of turtles.
Studies have shown that heavy metal pollution can affect the reproductive ability of turtles, reduce the hatchability of eggs, and increase the frequency of malformed larvae, thereby affecting the natural regeneration ability of its population.
In addition, global climate change has also had an indirect impact on the living environment of turtles.
The frequent occurrence of extreme weather events caused by climate warming, such as persistent high temperatures and droughts, has affected the hibernation and foraging habits of turtles, which has disrupted their circadian rhythms and increased the pressure on survival.
«——【Now there are only two left·】——»
Today, we can only see the sight of turtles in zoos. The only two turtles left in the world, one lives in Suzhou Zoo in China and the other in Tuyen Han Lake in Vietnam. Sadly, they are all males and simply cannot reproduce naturally.
This situation is like the last performance of the population civilization before the curtain call. The whole species is silently coming to an end, and no one can stop it.
In the past, attempts were made to mate the Chinese turtle "Xiangxiang" with the male in Suzhou, but failed. He tried artificial insemination again, but unfortunately "Xiangxiang" died during the operation.
Now, the fate of the turtle is once again at an impasse. Perhaps one day, this kind of living fossil that has been around for 200 million years will no longer be seen on the earth.
The whole species will disappear from our view forever.
«——【·A glimmer of hope·】——»
However, there may be one last glimmer of hope for turtles. At present, some scientists are still tirelessly searching for traces of wild turtles, hoping to find more surviving individuals and breed them in captivity.
In the Red River basin in Yunnan Province, there are still reports of villagers seeing "giant turtles". Experts are surveying there, and if they can find females, there may be a chance to reproduce naturally.
In addition, the emergence of new technologies such as somatic cell cloning has also brought a ray of life to the protection of turtles. Individuals bred in this way may one day be able to replenish the wild population.
It can be said that the survival of the turtle is the ultimate test for human beings to protect biodiversity. Whether we can retain the last precious spark will be known in the years to come.
«——【Relationship between man and nature·】——»
The plight of turtles is not only a biological problem, but also a microcosm of the harmonious relationship between man and nature.
The turtle has been able to soar all the way for hundreds of millions of years, precisely because the natural ecosystem is functioning well. When human beings greedily stir up the seedlings and disturb the original balance of nature, innocent lives have to pay a terrible price.
Compared with turtles, the history of human civilization is only a few thousand years. We need to be humble and be kind to the gifts of nature, because that is the foundation of human survival and development. Biodiversity has been destroyed, and all that awaits us is a dead silence.
Let us work together to make this hard-won wonder of life continue on Earth. Even if you don't see the harvest of the present, it will be a priceless gift for future generations.
The turtle that is getting farther and farther away from us is still swimming slowly under the water, silently telling the epic of life for hundreds of millions of years. I hope that this never-ending voice of life can travel through time and space and be transmitted to everyone's heart.
The turtle is endangered and is destined to leave a suffocating chapter in the history of human civilization. This kind of living fossil-like life has experienced hundreds of millions of years of boundless vicissitudes, but in the torrent of modern civilization, it has been defeated and retreated.
We are in a city full of high-rise buildings, and it is hard to imagine that hundreds of years ago, the banks of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River were full of turtles. At that time, they were the kings of the water, calling the wind and rain, and soaring freely. But now, where can you still see them roaming the river with poise?
The encounter with the turtle is a wake-up call to human nature. We should not be blinded by the temptation of money and reckless with nature. The plight of the turtle is an empirical portrayal of this arrogance.
Human beings are certainly at the top of the biological chain, but at the same time, they are also responsible for the healthy functioning of the entire ecosystem. We are just a member of nature, not some "master". If it destroys other species too much, nature will fight back with the power of thunder.
«——【·Conclusion·】——»
Today, it is the turtle that is going to a desperate situation; Tomorrow, perhaps, it will be the complete disappearance of other species. If the ecosystem collapses completely, even the survival of human beings will be seriously threatened.
Let us learn a lesson from what happened to the turtle! Respecting life and loving nature are the basic virtues that human beings should have. Only in this way can we truly continue the legend of the turtle and ensure the sustainability of the entire ecosystem.
Protecting biodiversity has become a major mission for contemporary mankind. Let us work together to defend our homeland with reason and wisdom, and leave a clean green space for future generations to live forever.
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There are only two males left in this animal on the earth, are they the loneliest animals?—— Xinhuanet