by Beth Carter
- Sea turtles are reptiles. They have cold blood
- 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.
- Field Trip Earth tracks sea turtles from the coast of North Carolina.
Think About…
- 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?
(After you think a while, ask an adult or older friend to read the sea turtle FAQ with you. Be sure to look at the pictures and other materials in that article.)
About the author:Beth Carter is a K-1 teacher at the Cape Fear Center for Inquiry in Wilmington, NC.
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