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Sea turtles are
marine reptiles.
Sea turtles are
among the oldest
creatures on earth,
it is estimated
they have remained
unchanged for 110
million years.
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Sea
Turtle Classification:
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Reptilia
Order:
Testudines
Super Family:
Chelonioidea
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Other Names:
Sub-species
of Sea Turtles:
There are five species
of sea turtles found
in the Gulf of Mexico,
all of which are
either endangered
or threatened.
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Sub-Species
of Sea Turtles
Black Sea
Turtle -
Chelonia mydas
agassizii
Flatback Sea
Turtle - Natator
depressus
Green Sea
Turtle -
Chelonia mydas
mydas
Hawksbill
Sea Turtle
- Eretmochelys
imbricata
Kemp's
Ridley Sea
Turtle -
Lepidochelys
kempii
Leatherback
Sea Turtle
- Dermochelys
coriacea
Loggerhead
Sea Turtle
- Caretta
caretta
Olive Ridley
Sea Turtle
- Lepidochelys
olivacea
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Size: Adult
male and female
sea turtles are
the same size. The
smallest sea turtle
is the Kemp's Ridley
Sea Turtle measuring
30 inches long and
weighing 80-100
lbs. The largest
sea turtle is the
Leatherback Sea
Turtle measuring
over six and a half
feet long and weighing
over 2,000 lbs.
Habitat: Sea
turtles inhabit
all of the world's
oceans except the
Arctic. Sea turtles
are found in warm
and temperate waters
throughout the world.
Some sea turtle
species will migrate
hundreds of miles
between nesting
and feeding grounds.
Sea
Turtles
in Other
Languages:
Czech:
Morska zelva
Dutch:
Zeeschildpad
Finnish:
Merikilpikonna
French:
Tortue Marine
Galician:
Tartaruga
Marina
German:
Meeresschildkrote
Hungarian:
Tengeri
Teknos
Indonesian:
Penyu
Italian:
Tartaruga
Marina
Navajo:
Teeh
tsisteel
Portuguese:
Tartaruga-marinha
Slovenian:
Morska zelva
Spanish:
Tortuga
Marina
Swahili:
Kasa
Swedish:
Havsskoldpadda
Turkish:
Deniz Kaplumbagasi
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Diet: Most
sea turtles are
carnivores, but
the green turtle
is an herbivore.
The diet of the
sea turtle varies
with the species,
but items sea turtles
eat include: jellyfish,
seaweed, crabs,
shrimp, sponges,
snails, algae and
mollusks.
Description:
Sea turtles
are characterized
by a large, streamlined
shell and nonretractile
head and limbs.
Sea turtles can
be yellow, greenish
and black or a combination
there of, depending
on the species.
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Gestation:
Sea turtle eggs
have a gestation
of 6-10 weeks.
Sea turtles
will have leave
between 70-190
eggs depending
on the sea turtle
species. |
Did
You
Know?
Unlike
other
turtles,
sea
turtles
cannot
retract
their
legs
and
head
into
their
protective
shells.
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Birth: Sea
turtles, will return
to the same nesting
grounds, in which
they were born.
Females sea turtles
come ashore, and
dig out a nest.
They lay their eggs
and return to the
ocean. After hatching,
the young sea turtles
may take as long
as a week to dig
themselves out of
their nest. Eventually
the baby sea turtles
will emerge at night,
and move toward
the ocean. It has
been estimated that
only 1% of these
hatchlings will
reach adulthood.
Sexual Maturity:
Different species
of sea turtles sexually
mature at different
ages.
Life Span:
Sea turtles live up
to 80 years in the
wild. Sea turtles
are awkward and vulnerable
on land. Additionally
sharks will sometimes
prey on sea turtles.
Social Structure:
Sea turtles
tend to be solitary.
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