Gulf Oil Spill Disaster: The Animals Most at Risk

June 24, 2010— -- As oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico after the explosion on BP's Deepwater Horizon rig, cleanup crews and animal welfare experts are working tirelessly to prevent massive ecological damage on the coast.

But several animal species are in the crosshairs of the giant oil slick spreading across the gulf. With time running out, here are the animals most at risk in the disaster, and what you can do to help.

1. Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

Already one of the most threatened species of fish on the planet, Bluefin tuna could suffer huge losses in the wake of the spill.

The reason? Bluefin tuna only breed in two places on earth: the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. And the Deepwater Horizon spill is impacting the very area of the gulf where the bluefin spawn. And they only spawn once a year. The time? You guessed it: right now. According Ellycia Harrould-Kolieb, a marine biologist interviewed by Newsweek, "This could spell the end to bluefin."

Before the spill, it was predicted that man's hunger for sushi might spell the end of the bluefin. Bluefin is especially prized in Japan, and overfishing has already devastated worldwide bluefin stocks; the population has dropped by more than 70 percent in the past 30 years.

2. Sea Turtles

For millions of years, sea turtles have lumbered onto the beaches of what is now Gulf Shores, Alabama, to lay eggs and continue their lineage. The annual ritual is carried out like clockwork each summer.

But now, more than 350 dead turtles have been discovered in the gulf since the Deepwater Horizon explosion, and experts are worried that the spill could disrupt their mating and breeding cycle for good.

Sea turtles are thought to be especially at risk since they spend most of their time on the water's surface, putting them at high exposure for inhaling and ingesting the oil floating in the gulf. The animals also are known to "mouth or chew on anything," according to Michele Kelley, standing coordinator of the Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program, in an interview with National Geographic. That means they'll likely munch the oil to see what's going on.

There are only seven species of sea turtle in the entire world, and five of them rely on the Gulf of Mexico to serve as a critical habitat. And each of those five species is endangered.