We belong to the superfamily Chelonioidea, also called marine turtles. We are reptiles of the order Testudines. Depending on our shell, we can be separated into two categories; the hard-shelled (Cheloniidae) and Leathery-shelled (Dermochelyidea).
You can find us in the continental shelves of all oceans except near Polar Regions. However, my brothers, the Flatback sea turtle can be found only on Australia’s northern coast and the Kemp’s Ridley in the Gulf of Mexico and along the East Coast of the United States.
The Olive Ridleys are the smallest and Leatherbacks are the largest in our family.
We have large upper eyelids that protect our eyes. We do not have an external ear opening and we don’t have teeth. Adult males have longer, thicker tails than females
We are foodies! The loggerhead, Kemp’s Ridley, Olive Ridley, and Hawksbill sea turtles are omnivorous.. Yum.. Yum.. Yum..! Major food items include decapods, sea-grasses, seaweed, sponges, and mollusks such as squids, cnidarians such as jellyfish, echinoderms such as starfish; worms and fish.
When they are active, sea turtles must swim to the ocean surface to breathe every few minutes. When they are resting, they can remain underwater for as long as 2 hours without breathing.
We are among the oldest reptiles and are here since the times of dinosaurs! Yes! Over 200 million years have passed!
We live long, up to 50 years or more and have a similar lifespan to humans! The most consistent estimate says that our average age is about 80 years. those that think we lives 150 years are thinking of land-turtle, not sea-turtles.
Adult sea turtles have few predators like large aquatic carnivores such as sharks and crocodiles.
Whether a baby of the will be a male for female depends on the temperature. Warmer nests lead to more females and cooler ones lead to more males. We lay eggs that are round in shape on beach sand. Female sea turtles lay about 150 eggs at a time and these eggs resemble tiny balls.
Sometimes we are caught in a net during fishing. You know that we need oxygen for survival, for that, we have to surface. If caught in a net, we can’t come to surface and therefore, drown. Other major threats include Light pollution from beach development, Oil pollution, marine debris and climatic changes. I will tell you in detail about them later. Untill then, please don’t pollute the water and beaches so that we can live happily here.
Sea Turtle
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