SEA TURTLES

WRITTEN BY KELLY

Sea turtles lived before the dinosaurs 200 million years ago. The archelon was bigger than a car. They have evolved to become smaller since then.

HISTORY

OCEAN REPTILES

Sea turtles live in warm oceans. They are air breathing reptiles.

TRAVELLERS

Sea turtles travel every 2 to 3 years in late spring. They travel 1000 miles to nest. Sea turtles mate in late summer.

EGGS

A group of eggs are called a clutch. It takes 1 hour to lay 100 eggs. The nest is in danger because people and animals hunt them for their meat. They can live up to 100 years old.

FLIPPERS

Sea turtles have strong flippers. They use them like paddles. Sea turtles can go 20 miles an hour. That’s 4 times faster than a human. Their back flippers are for turning and stopping.

SENSES

Sea turtles have sharp senses. Sometimes they cry to get salt out of their eyes. Sea turtles may hiss when they are angry or scared. Their hearing organs are behind their eyes. They can see far away and smell well.

SHELL

A sea turtles shell has two parts. The top is called a carapace. The bottom is called a plastron. Sea turtles have a shell for protection. Bony bridges join the two parts. The shell is covered with scales. Land turtles can go inside their shell. But sea turtles can't because they have to have their eyes and ears out for protection.

DIET

Sea turtles have no teeth. They rip their food with their strong jaws. Sea turtles eat seaweed crab fish and jellyfish.

MANY SPECIES

There are eight kinds of sea turtles. The two smallest are the black sea turtle and the hawksbill. The black sea turtle is over three feet long. It is also called a pacific green sea turtle. The hawksbill is three feet long and weighs a hundred pounds.

LOGGERHEAD

The loggerhead is 400 pounds and 3 to 5 feet long.

GREEN SEA TURTLE

The green sea turtle weighs 400 pounds. A green sea turtle is a vegetarian and only eats plants. Its diet is made of sea grass.

AUSTRALIAN FLAT BACK

The Australian flat back is over 3 feet long. It is found in Australia.

LEATHERBACK

The biggest sea turtle is the leather back. It has no hard shell. It is 7 feet long and weighs over 1000 pounds. It is the deepest diver. It can go 1300 feet deep.