Information and Facts
about Sea Turtles

Facts about Sea Turtles, Green, Loggerhead, Leatherback and Hawksbill Sea Turtles

Introduction to Sea Turtles

When it comes to sea turtles, you will find they come in many sizes as well as many colors. They are categorized as reptiles as they are cold blooded. This means they are loosely related to other reptiles including snakes, crocodiles, and lizards. All reptiles have a three chambered heart and scaly skin in common.

They live all over the world with some preferring the tropical waters and others prefer to be where it is cooler. They are found in oceans, lagoons, and bays where they generally stick very close to the shore line. Some of the larger sea turtles though are great divers and they will venture out to the open sea in search of food.

While most types of sea turtles migrate, not al of them do. Those that do take part in it for breeding and to find food can travel hundreds or thousands of miles to reach their destination. Most of them will return to the place of their own birth for such activities to take place. The mating takes place in the water so there remains plenty we don’t know about it. All sea turtles lay eggs and will dig for nests to deposit them on land.  They can offer hundreds of eggs at a time.

Sea turtles will spend almost all of their time in the water. Their bodies are designed to make movement in the water very simple. When the females have to go to land to nest their eggs, it can be very slow and very awkward for them. Their bodies aren’t designed for that process very well but they are fascinating to watch. They are very determined to reach the nesting area, deposit their eggs, and get back to the water. Generally this can all be done within two or three hours.

Depending on the type of sea turtle, they can live from 50 to 80 years in the wild. There are plenty of conservation efforts these days to help ensure they can live that long. Protection of their natural habitat both in the water and on land is vital to being successful with such efforts. Many sea turtles that live in captivity are able to thrive. Others are only in captivity long enough for injuries to heal and then they can be successfully released back into the wild.

Almost all of the species of sea turtles are listed as Endangered Species. This is due to the constant destruction of their natural habitat as well as the waters they live in being polluted. They often face other dangers too including being hunted, their eggs being harvested as a source of food, and getting caught up in fishing nets. There are plenty of conservation efforts in place so hopefully they will help to get the number of them to increase.