Sea Turtles Find Their Beach
When you were a baby, you needed lots of care. Someone was always nearby to feed you, change your diaper, and make sure you were comfortable. Sea turtles, though, are a different story. Sea turtles hatch from eggs their mothers buried in a hole on a beach. They have to dig their way out of the hole, follow their instincts to get to the ocean, and start swimming. On the way, they risk getting lost and being eaten by other animals. Not all of them make it to the water.
When baby sea turtles do make it to the ocean, they swim, eat, and grow. Scientists have studied where they go. Sea turtles born on Florida beaches may travel hundreds or thousands of miles, to other warm, tropical waters. After they mature, they return to the same beach where they were born to lay eggs. Then, their babies start the process again.
All Kinds of Sea Turtles
Sea turtles breathe air but can stay underwater for hours. They eat jellyfish, fish, crabs, seagrass, and many other things. Along the coasts of the United States, there are five types of sea turtles: loggerhead, green, leatherback, Kemp’s ridley, and hawksbill.
The loggerhead, named for the large size of its head, is one of the most common species of sea turtle seen in the United States. Loggerheads use their powerful jaws to eat horseshoe crabs, clams, mussels, and other shellfish.
Green turtles are another type of sea turtle. They were once hunted by the thousands and sent to England to make soup. Green turtles eat mostly seagrass and algae.
Leatherbacks are the largest of all sea turtles, averaging six feet long and weighing up to 1,500 pounds—or about the same as a fully grown cow. These animals get this big by eating almost nothing but jellyfish!
The Kemp’s ridley is the rarest, smallest sea turtle in the world and also one of the most endangered. They weigh just 85 to 100 pounds and are about two feet long. They eat crabs, clams, mussels, shrimp, fish, and jellyfish.
The hawksbill sea turtle eats sponges, anemones, squid, and shrimp, and is known for its beautiful shell. This made hawksbills a target for people who wanted to make jewelry and other ornaments from turtle shells. Thankfully, it is now against the law in the United States to hunt sea turtles.
Keeping Sea Turtles Safe
Endangered animals are protected by laws to prevent them from becoming extinct. When an animal becomes extinct, no more of that animal remains on the earth. Scientists and conservationists are trying to save sea turtles, which are endangered, but they still have a lot of questions about them. For example, scientists are still trying to understand how adult turtles return to the beach where they hatched to lay eggs.
Scientists who study sea turtles were concerned about the decline in the number of turtles. They knew part of the problem was that baby turtles face many risks from when they first hatch to when they make it to the ocean. People were driving vehicles on beaches and destroying turtle nests. Lights from nearby homes and businesses would confuse the babies when they tried to find the water. Scientists realized part of the solution would be to help baby turtles get to the ocean safely.
Communities and organizations are now working together to protect nesting areas and help baby turtles. They ask people to turn off outdoor lights near the beach from May through October when the mother turtles lay their eggs and the baby turtles hatch. They also help homeowners install special turtle-safe lighting. This lighting doesn’t bother baby sea turtles as they emerge from their nests or mother sea turtles when they come onto beaches to lay eggs.
Groups of researchers tag some turtles and track them with satellites to follow their travels and movements. You can follow some of the tagged loggerhead turtles at the website of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. All of this cooperation is paying off. Over the past five years, more turtles have been observed coming home to nest. Just as important, scientists have counted more baby sea turtles hatching from their nests and finding their way to the ocean!
