Why do at least 180 species of marine animals ingest plastic ?
The explanations given by the scientists are these:
1. Plastic smells similar to its food , a crustacean called krill.
2. The appendages of some creatures such as sea cucumbers and organisms such as zooplankton are designed to catch pieces of a certain size. Because the plastic is so abundant, it often remains attached to its appendages .
3. They mistake plastic for prey because of their poor vision . This is the case of turtles, which, as they do not have a highly developed sense of sight, believe that they are ingesting jellyfish instead of bags.
According to a study by environmental engineer Jenna Jambeck of the University of Georgia, at least 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year .
