The Amazing Sea Turtle!

The sea turtle is an air breathing reptile that can be found in tropical and subtropical seas all around our world. Sea turtles are not all the same. They come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and species. Their shells are one of the factors we use in determining the species of the sea turtle. The sea turtle's shell has two parts to it. The upper shell is known as the carapace. The carapace ranges in size, color, scales and shape. The lower part of the shell is known as plastron.

The female sea turtle is the one who comes ashore to nest. The male sea turtle rarely come ashore at all. Most make sea turtles does not return to shore after being a hatchling and going out to sea. In the U.S. sea turtles nest usually between April until October. The female sea turtles usually return to the shore that they were hatched on and nest their eggs there. Most female sea turtles will nest up to twice per season. Some might even nest more than twice a season. Females sea turtles does not nest in consecutive years. The usually skip two to three years before nesting again. Female sea turtles usually lay between eighty to one-hundred and twenty eggs in one nesting. The number of eggs depends on the species of the sea turtle.

The incubation period for the sea turtle eggs are usually about sixty days. Researchers have found that the hotter the sand, the probability of more female sea turtles being hatched. The cooler the sand, the more male sea turtles are to be hatched. When the sea turtles break out of their eggs, they use a group effort to dig out of the nest. This process could take up to a couple of days. As soon as they reach above ground, the sea turtle dash to safety into the ocean. Even in the ocean most sea turtle babies die due to predators or due to eating garbage.

Sea Turtles does not have visible ears. They do have eardrums that are cover by a layer of skin.

There is a theory saying that sea turtles don't come back ashore or at feeding grounds until they are dinner plate sized. Theorists believe that the sea turtles stay hidden with the seaweed at the surface until they are big enough to survive in the open. It is know that sea turtles does not reach reproductive maturity until fifteen to fifty years. Some theorists believe that some species can live over one hundred years old.

Sea turtles can travel hundreds and occasionally thousands of miles from it's feeding grounds to the nesting beach.

• Green Turtle
• Loggerhead
• Leatherback
• Hawksbill
• Kemp's Ridley
• Olive Ridley
• Flatback

The green turtle is among the largest sea turtles. The green turtle has a wide smooth carapace (shell). The green turtle can weigh up to seven hundred pounds. The Green Turtle is an endangered species.

The loggerhead turtle is the largest of the hard shelled turtles. The loggerhead has a reddish-brownish carapace. They also have massive heads and strong jaws.

The leatherback turtles are the largest turtles of the world. They can grow up to seven feet long and weigh around two thousand pounds. The leatherback has an inky blue carapace. The carapace is somewhat flexible and feels like rubber to the touch. The carapace also has ridges along it to give it a more better structure.

The olive ridley turtle gets it name from it's greenish skin and greenish carapace. The olive ridley is among one of the smallest species of sea turtles. They weigh only about one hundred pounds and only two feet long in shell length.

The hawksbill turtle can grow up to forty five inches in shell length. They can also weight up to one hundred and fifty pounds. When the hawksbill turtle is young, their carapace is a heart shape and as they mature, their carapace elongates.

The flatback turtle gets it's name from the flat carapace it has. The carapace only gets to thirty five inches long.

The kemp's ridley turtle is the world's most endangered sea turtle. They are among the smallest of sea turtles. They only get up to two feet long and weighing up to one hundred pounds. Their carapace has a greenish-gray color.