Facts about Sea Turtles

Top Facts about Sea Turtles

• Many people know what a sea turtle is, but they don’t know too many facts about them. Here you will find out some great information that you never had before regarding them!
• Sea turtles are reptiles but many people don’t look at them the same way as they do other reptiles due to the design of their bodies.
• The Arctic Ocean is the only ocean in the world where sea turtles don’t live. They also live in bays and lagoons.
• There are 7 different species of sea turtles.
• Experts believe that sea turtles have been on Earth for more than 110 million years!
• Sea turtles don’t have the ability to pull their head and legs into the shell like other turtles do for protection. Their shell does aid them with being able to navigate successfully through the water.
• Some sea turtles are yellow, some are green, and others are black.
• Sea turtles spend almost all of their life in the water.
• Sea turtles live solitary lives. When you see them in a group they are either traveling to find a mate or to the nesting grounds to deposit their eggs.
• Females will instinctively be able to journey back to the same nesting grounds where they were born to deposit their eggs.
• What sea turtles will eat depends on location and species. Some of them only eat meat and some only eat plants. There are also those species that eat a combination of both.
• The Green Sea Turtle eats both meat and plants as a juvenile, but only plants once it becomes an adult.
• The females use their back flippers to dig in the sand to place clutches of eggs and then she goes back to the water.
• The young hatchlings have to dig themselves out of the sand which can take them up to a week before they are on the surface and ready to head towards the water.
• The genders of the sea turtles is determined by the temperature. Under 85 degrees Fahrenheit will result in males while temperatures above 85 degrees Fahrenheit will result in females.
• The size of a sea turtle depends on the location and where they live. They can range in size from about 20 inches long to around 40 inches or more in length. They can also vary significantly in weight from about 100 pounds to around 400 pounds!
• They can remain submerged under the water for very long periods of time which is why you rarely see them.
• Sea turtles have salt glands that help them to remove it from their environment and even foods that they consume.
• The Leatherback Sea Turtle is the only species that doesn’t feature a hard shell. They have bony plates.

• The skin of sea turtles feels like leather.
• The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle is the only sea turtle with 6 to 9 costal pairs. All other species have 5 pairs.
• The oval body shape of the Kemps Ridley Sea Turtle is very interesting. Other species of sea turtles feature a heart shaped body.
• The head of the Hawksbill Sea Turtle seems to be much too small for the body of it. This species of sea turtle features a longer shell than the others.
• Many people don’t realize the value that sea turtles offer on land and in the water. On land, the remains of egg shells help to offer vital nutrients to the beaches and reduce the chances of erosion. In the water, they eat the sea grasses that need to be kept short in order for them to offer a healthy environment for other living organisms.

Sea Turtle Video!

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIYV1ZOnndc