Adhesion of
the intestines to other parts of the GI tract or the celomic membranes
was noted in three turtles; this was not associated with intestinal perforation
and therefore likely due to inflammatory processes such as
serositis.
Turtles that died from plastic ingestion were underweight relative
to their size (carapace length) compared to other turtles (Fig. 2),
and their growth rates in captivity (−0.39 ± 0.98 g d−1) were significantly
less than turtles that survived at least two months in captivity
(0.91 ± 0.60 g d−1; n = 146, t16 = 3.91; P = 0.001)