University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) research scientist Dr. Paul Jobsis is an expert in sea turtle biology and his observations revealed previously unknown facts about the life of Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas). In a paper published in June 2024 in the journal Marine Biodiversity, Dr. Jobsis, UVI Director of the Center for Marine and Environmental Studies, along with Jessica Michael, of the Coral World Ocean and Reef Initiative, wrote about three species of cleaning fish, not known to participate in this symbiotic relationship, found cleaning green sea turtles.
Several Green Sea Turtles that visited a turtle cleaning station under surveillance just off the dock at UVI’s Center for Marine and Enviromental Studies, were seen being cleaned by juvenile French angelfish (Pomacanthus paru), juvenile Queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris), and slippery dick wrasses (Halichoeres bivittatus), who were all too happy to pick edibles from the turtles' shells and bodies.
“Ecosystems and food webs are complex and dependent on many species. Green Sea Turtles need a healthy ecosystem that can support the many species needed for them to thrive,” said Dr. Jobsis, in an IFL Science article shared on the IFL Science's Facebook page and their 22 million followers. See link - https://www.iflscience.com/who-works-at-the-turtle-carwash-videos-reveal-three-new-cleaner-species-76726 Director of the Center for Marine & Environmental Studies
Dr. Jobsis, who earned his Ph.D. in Marine Biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego in 1998, has worked at UVI since 2006 after serving as a visiting assistant professor since 2000. His expertise is in general Marine Science, Diving Physiology, Sea Turtle Biology, Tissue Oxygenation, and Microscopy.
For more information on the University’s Center for Marine and Enviromental Science visit https://uvi.edu.