A harrowing image shows a dead sea turtle on a beach covered in pieces of plastic bags

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Sea turtles cannot regurgitate plastic, which means their intestines clog up, causing them to starve. Almost all sea turtle species are listed as endangered

A dead green sea turtle on the shore of a plastic-strewn beach near Karatas, south of Adana (

Image: Adam Gerrard/Daily Mirror)

A dead green sea turtle has washed up on the shore of a Mediterranean beach littered with plastic waste, a sobering reminder of the impact of our litter crisis.

These majestic animals are dying in alarming numbers after mistaking tiny plastic fragments because they resemble jellyfish and crustaceans.

Unlike seabirds, they cannot regurgitate the material, which means their intestines become clogged, causing them to starve. Almost all sea turtle species are listed as endangered, and plastic does more than its share of the damage. Globally, it is estimated that approximately 52% of all sea turtles have eaten plastic.

Professor Sedat Gündoğdu, microplastics expert, at Cukurova University in Adana, said sad cases like this are "unfortunately very common on the Mediterranean coasts of Turkey", while "there is not surprising to find plastics in their intestinal system".< /p>

He also explained how plastic on beaches used for nesting sea turtles can impact their behavior.

Plastic waste litters a beach near Karatas (

Picture:

Adam Gerard/Daily Mirror)

"Our study showed that heavy accumulation of plastics on beaches could have a negative effect on nesting female turtles and emerging hatchlings. The results also showed that turtles can return to the sea ​​without laying eggs due to plastic pollution."

His study also revealed that Samandağ beach, near Adana, has the highest level of plastic pollution of all Mediterranean beaches.

Yesterday we revealed how the Adana region is devastated by dozens of foreign wastes, mainly from the UK, which are thrown away and burned because Turkey does not have a waste management system for the treat.

This sea turtle was found dead on Karataş beach, 700 km from the...