Rising Number of Cancerous Sea Turtles in Mexico Alba Llanes - Riviera Maya News
go to original August 30, 2015

Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a disease specific to sea turtles. The condition is characterized by benign epithelial tumours on the surface of biological tissues. (Riviera Maya News)

Aside from marine pollution and natural predators, researchers are finding an alarming increase in sea turtle cancer.

Specifically, the leatherback and hawksbill sea turtles are of great concern to marine biologists who have found that sea turtles nesting along the Yucatan Peninsula have higher cancer rates than the sea turtles nesting in Baja California.

Dr. Maria Monica Lara Uc, a researcher at the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur and Health Program in charge of Sea Turtles of the Academic Department of Marine Sciences, brings to light the health concerns of these marine turtles.

She said she is concerned that since 2006, an increasing number of sea turtles in Mexico have been found with Fibropapillomatosis (FP) – a debilitating disease that affects sea turtles, causing the growth of bulbous tumors on soft tissue.

According to The Wildlife Society, “the viral disease affects marine turtles around the globe. Large tumors can impact turtles’ ability to see, swim, and eat… the tumors of FP are essentially a form of cancer.”

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