Sea turtles
Sea turtles, also called marine turtles, are sea-dwelling reptiles. They have streamlined bodies and large flippers in place of feet. Like most turtles, they have a hard shell made from two plates that protect them from predators and environmental hazards. They generally live in tropic or sub-tropic areas, though some species will travel to more northern waters. There are seven species of sea turtles world-wide.
Another thing that all sea turtles have in common is that they all lay their eggs on sandy beaches. When a female is ready to lay her eggs, she travels to the same beach she was born on. She then walks up onto the sand and digs a hole to lay her eggs in. After burying them, she walks back to the ocean and leaves them to hatch on their own.
All species of sea turtles are endangered or protected. Due to a number of hazards, their numbers have become quite low. Humans are mainly responsible for their decline. This is mainly from previous over-harvesting of turtles and eggs, being caught as by-catch in fishing nets, and swallowing indigestible garbage that eventually starves them to death. Chemical pollutions also cause health problems, such as tumors.
Another thing that all sea turtles have in common is that they all lay their eggs on sandy beaches. When a female is ready to lay her eggs, she travels to the same beach she was born on. She then walks up onto the sand and digs a hole to lay her eggs in. After burying them, she walks back to the ocean and leaves them to hatch on their own.
All species of sea turtles are endangered or protected. Due to a number of hazards, their numbers have become quite low. Humans are mainly responsible for their decline. This is mainly from previous over-harvesting of turtles and eggs, being caught as by-catch in fishing nets, and swallowing indigestible garbage that eventually starves them to death. Chemical pollutions also cause health problems, such as tumors.
Green Sea Turtle
Scientific Name: Chelonia mydas
Appearance: Green sea turtles are the second largest of the sea turtles. They can grow to a length of around 55 inches and weigh over 500 pounds. Compared to most other sea turtles, their heads are proportionately small in relation to its body. They are the only species to have tooth-like serrations on their lower jaw. The pattern of scales on their heads is very distinctive. Most sea turtles have two pairs of squarish prefrontal scales, while the green sea turtle has only one elongated pair. Green sea turtles can vary in color from a mix of gray, green, brown, white, yellow, and black.
Diet: Juvenile green sea turtles eat mainly jellyfish and other soft-bodied organisms. When they move to more coastal waters as adults, they undergo a major diet change to seagrass and algae. They become the only primarily vegetarian sea turtle.
Location: Green sea turtles live in every ocean except the Arctic. They prefer warmer tropical and subtropical oceans for the most part. They can be spotted as far north as Canada, however. They live mainly in open water as juveniles and move to more coastal waters as adults.
There is some controversy in the scientific community about splitting some of the green sea turtle populations into separate subspecies. The population in the eastern Pacific is often called the Black Sea Turtle and is darker and smaller than other Green turtle populations.
Appearance: Green sea turtles are the second largest of the sea turtles. They can grow to a length of around 55 inches and weigh over 500 pounds. Compared to most other sea turtles, their heads are proportionately small in relation to its body. They are the only species to have tooth-like serrations on their lower jaw. The pattern of scales on their heads is very distinctive. Most sea turtles have two pairs of squarish prefrontal scales, while the green sea turtle has only one elongated pair. Green sea turtles can vary in color from a mix of gray, green, brown, white, yellow, and black.
Diet: Juvenile green sea turtles eat mainly jellyfish and other soft-bodied organisms. When they move to more coastal waters as adults, they undergo a major diet change to seagrass and algae. They become the only primarily vegetarian sea turtle.
Location: Green sea turtles live in every ocean except the Arctic. They prefer warmer tropical and subtropical oceans for the most part. They can be spotted as far north as Canada, however. They live mainly in open water as juveniles and move to more coastal waters as adults.
There is some controversy in the scientific community about splitting some of the green sea turtle populations into separate subspecies. The population in the eastern Pacific is often called the Black Sea Turtle and is darker and smaller than other Green turtle populations.
Loggerhead sea turtle
Scientific Name: Caretta caretta
Appearance: The loggerhead in easily identified by its orange-brown colored top shell and upper body scales. Their undersides vary from white to yellow to pale orange.
They have a heart-shaped head that is proportionately large I relation to its body, compared to other sea turtles. It gets its name from this overly large head and its horny beak, which is significantly thicker than in other sea turtles. They are the third largest sea turtle with a maximum length of around 50 inches and a weight of up to 400 pounds.
Diet: Loggerheads have one of the most varied diets of all the sea turtles. As hatchlings they will eat sponges, jellyfish, seaweed, gastropods, and crustaceans. As juveniles and adults, they eat conch, clams, crustaceans, sea urchins, and soft corals when they are in coastal waters. During migration in the open ocean, they will eat jellyfish, floating mollusks, floating egg clusters, squid, fish, barnacles growing on floating objects, and anything else that floats by.
Location: Loggerheads are found worldwide in tropical to temperate waters. They are the only sea turtles that nest in temperate zones. These turtles are more common along continental margins than around oceanic islands. Juveniles feed in temperate waters in the summer and migrate back down south for the winter.
Worldwide, these turtles are listed as endangered by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature). These turtles are especially susceptible to being trapped in trawl nets, long lines, gill lines, and drift nets.
Appearance: The loggerhead in easily identified by its orange-brown colored top shell and upper body scales. Their undersides vary from white to yellow to pale orange.
They have a heart-shaped head that is proportionately large I relation to its body, compared to other sea turtles. It gets its name from this overly large head and its horny beak, which is significantly thicker than in other sea turtles. They are the third largest sea turtle with a maximum length of around 50 inches and a weight of up to 400 pounds.
Diet: Loggerheads have one of the most varied diets of all the sea turtles. As hatchlings they will eat sponges, jellyfish, seaweed, gastropods, and crustaceans. As juveniles and adults, they eat conch, clams, crustaceans, sea urchins, and soft corals when they are in coastal waters. During migration in the open ocean, they will eat jellyfish, floating mollusks, floating egg clusters, squid, fish, barnacles growing on floating objects, and anything else that floats by.
Location: Loggerheads are found worldwide in tropical to temperate waters. They are the only sea turtles that nest in temperate zones. These turtles are more common along continental margins than around oceanic islands. Juveniles feed in temperate waters in the summer and migrate back down south for the winter.
Worldwide, these turtles are listed as endangered by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature). These turtles are especially susceptible to being trapped in trawl nets, long lines, gill lines, and drift nets.
kemp's ridley sea turtle
Scientific Name: Lepidochelys kempi
Appearance: The Kemp’s Ridley and the closely related Olive Ridley are the smallest of the sea turtles. They grow to be around 24 to 28 inches long and can weight 100 poinds. Their shells are circular, so they are about as wide as they are long. In proportion to body size, their heads are larger than a green sea turtles, but smaller than a loggerhead.
These turtles have a lite olive gray to brown top shell. Their bottom shells are a yellowish to creamy white.
Diet: Kemp’s eat crabs, fish, jellyfish, mollusks, and floating organisms. They prefer to feed by day.
Location: The Kemp’s Ridley has one of the most limited ranges of the sea turtles; second only to the Australian Flatback. They tend to stay closer to the Gulf of Mexico, where most of their nesting grounds are located. Juvenile turtles feed in shallow waters all along the Atlantic U.S. and Mexican coasts. They can be found near New England in the summer, but they migrate back down south once the weather gets colder.
The Kemp’s Ridley is the rarest of the sea turtles. It was dangerously close to extinction at one point. It was only fairly recently that its number began to rise.
Appearance: The Kemp’s Ridley and the closely related Olive Ridley are the smallest of the sea turtles. They grow to be around 24 to 28 inches long and can weight 100 poinds. Their shells are circular, so they are about as wide as they are long. In proportion to body size, their heads are larger than a green sea turtles, but smaller than a loggerhead.
These turtles have a lite olive gray to brown top shell. Their bottom shells are a yellowish to creamy white.
Diet: Kemp’s eat crabs, fish, jellyfish, mollusks, and floating organisms. They prefer to feed by day.
Location: The Kemp’s Ridley has one of the most limited ranges of the sea turtles; second only to the Australian Flatback. They tend to stay closer to the Gulf of Mexico, where most of their nesting grounds are located. Juvenile turtles feed in shallow waters all along the Atlantic U.S. and Mexican coasts. They can be found near New England in the summer, but they migrate back down south once the weather gets colder.
The Kemp’s Ridley is the rarest of the sea turtles. It was dangerously close to extinction at one point. It was only fairly recently that its number began to rise.
leatherback sea turtle
Scientific Name: Dermochelys coriacea
Appearance: The leatherback sea turtle is the largest of all the sea turtles and are among the heaviest of all reptiles in the world. They can grow to be over 8 feet long and weigh up to 1 ton. Their flippers are also extremely long and can have a wingspan of up to 9 feet. Atlantic leatherbacks seem to grow larger than Pacific populations.
The shells of leatherbacks are very different from other sea turtles. Rather than the usual hard outer shell, a leatherback has its bones under its skin. There are seven pronounced ridges on its back and five on its underside, which accentuate their spindle-shaped bodies. Its skin is firm and somewhat oily. This insulating skin, along with a special internal heat-regulating system, allows them to survive in colder waters.
Leatherbacks are a dark brown or black color all over with small, irregular splotches of white.
Diet: Leatherbacks are omnivores. Their primary diet is jellyfish. Leatherbacks will dive down to depths of 3,900 feet to reach the “deep-scattering layer”. This layer contains dense concentrations of jellyfish and other soft-bodied organisms leatherbacks like to prey on. They will also eat fish, crustaceans, sea urchins, squid, algae, and seaweed.
Location: Leatherbacks live all over the world in tropical and temperate waters. They can be found as far north as Scandinavia and as far south as the southern-most tip of Australia. They are also the most migratory of all sea turtles.
Appearance: The leatherback sea turtle is the largest of all the sea turtles and are among the heaviest of all reptiles in the world. They can grow to be over 8 feet long and weigh up to 1 ton. Their flippers are also extremely long and can have a wingspan of up to 9 feet. Atlantic leatherbacks seem to grow larger than Pacific populations.
The shells of leatherbacks are very different from other sea turtles. Rather than the usual hard outer shell, a leatherback has its bones under its skin. There are seven pronounced ridges on its back and five on its underside, which accentuate their spindle-shaped bodies. Its skin is firm and somewhat oily. This insulating skin, along with a special internal heat-regulating system, allows them to survive in colder waters.
Leatherbacks are a dark brown or black color all over with small, irregular splotches of white.
Diet: Leatherbacks are omnivores. Their primary diet is jellyfish. Leatherbacks will dive down to depths of 3,900 feet to reach the “deep-scattering layer”. This layer contains dense concentrations of jellyfish and other soft-bodied organisms leatherbacks like to prey on. They will also eat fish, crustaceans, sea urchins, squid, algae, and seaweed.
Location: Leatherbacks live all over the world in tropical and temperate waters. They can be found as far north as Scandinavia and as far south as the southern-most tip of Australia. They are also the most migratory of all sea turtles.
MarineBio. (2014). Green Sea Turtles. Retrieved from: http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=51
MarineBio. (2014). Leatherback Sea Turtles. Retrieved from: http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=287
MarineBio. (2014). Loggerhead Sea Turtles. Retrieved from: http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=163
NOAA. (2014). Kemp’s Ridley Turtles. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved from: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/kempsridley.htm
NOAA. (2014). Sea Turtles. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved from: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/
Perrine, Doug. (2003). Sea Turtles of the World. Stillwater, MN: Voyageur Press.
MarineBio. (2014). Leatherback Sea Turtles. Retrieved from: http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=287
MarineBio. (2014). Loggerhead Sea Turtles. Retrieved from: http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=163
NOAA. (2014). Kemp’s Ridley Turtles. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved from: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/kempsridley.htm
NOAA. (2014). Sea Turtles. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved from: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/
Perrine, Doug. (2003). Sea Turtles of the World. Stillwater, MN: Voyageur Press.
Updated: December 5, 2014