Just the Facts: Sea Turtles

Sea turtles are reptiles. They are cold-blooded.
Adult sea turtles can weigh from 150 – 1000 pounds!
Sea turtles can live up to 80 years.
They eat plants, jellyfish, shrimp, and clams.
Sea turtles swim and live alone. They eat and rest all day.
Sea turtles breathe air. They can stay underwater for five hours!
There are 7 kinds, or species, of sea turtles.
- Flatback
- Green
- Hawksbill
- Kemp’s Ridley
- Leatherback
- Loggerhead
- Olive Ridley
- All 7 types of sea turtle are “threatened” or “endangered.”
Green, Loggerhead, Leatherback, and Kemp’s Ridley turtles swim in the Atlantic Ocean.
Female turtles go back to the beach where they were born to lay their eggs.
The females dig a deep hole on the beach. They lay 100-120 eggs in the nest.
The eggs hatch after 55-80 days.
The baby turtles crawl FAST to the water.
Raccoons, ghost crabs, seagulls, and foxes like to eat baby turtles.
Scientists are worried about sea turtles becoming extinct.
Scientists are asking fishermen to help them protect turtles.
The scientists put a radio transmitter on the turtle’s shell. The radio sends out beeps. The beeps are tracked by a satellite. This tells the scientists where turtles are swimming.

How do land and sea turtles look different? Why do you think they look so different?
Why is it hard to count how many sea turtles are in the oceans?
Why do you think that sea turtles are endangered?
What do people do to try to protect sea turtles?