Sea Turtles

WILDLIFE ADVENTURES: SEA TURTLES KELLI BECTON

Sea turtles or marine turtles

are turtles that inhabit all of

the world's oceans except the

Arctic. Most species of sea

turtle are endangered.

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Anyone who has seen the movie “Finding Nemo”, knows that sea turtles return to

the very beaches where they were hatched to lay their own eggs after navigating

the oceans wide and far. But, what is it that drives this natural instinct? What is it

that allows a turtle, not much larger than a ping pong ball at birth, to recall and

return to that place?

A large gathering of sea turtles around Port Canaveral in 1969 caught attention,

which led to the discovery that dredging around the Navy’s Trident submarine

had stirred up magnetic particles and drawn the turtles to the area. Researchers

then found that sea turtles have ferromagnetic crystals in their brains. These

crystals are like a magnetic compasses, and have now been discovered in other

migratory creatures as well.

God knew these sea turtles, along with homing pigeons porpoises, yellowfin tuna,

and others would need an inner compass. He designed them with a built in GPS to

guide them home.

Ultimate Navigation

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Sea Turtles

Facts & Fun

The barrier islands around Central

and South Florida in the summer

time are home to the largest

loggerhead nesting area in the

western hemisphere!

Some sea turtles eat

squid. Have a sea turtle

snack today and enjoy

hot dogs trimmed and

cooked to look like a

squid. Get together in

the kitchen and read

turtle facts while you

enjoy a turtle snack!

Sea turtles are reptiles and not amphibians.

They have hard scaly skin which they don’t

breathe through. Speaking of breathing,

they need air to breathe – which is the other

reptile qualifying trait of sea turtles.

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Loggerhead:

Did you know that loggerhead sea turtles have

very powerful jaws? Their jaw muscles are so

strong that they are able to crush conch shells,

and even crabs! It is the mainstay of their diet.

They weigh between 250 to 350 lbs.

Green Sea Turtle:

Do you know where the green sea turtle gets its

name? It's from the color of its body fat!

Can you guess why its body fat would have a

greenish tint? It eats algae and sea grass!

They weigh between 300 to 400 lbs.

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Hawksbill:

Did you know that the hawksbill sea turtle can

eat poisonous sponges that would be toxic to

other species? It is the thing they love to eat

the most- sponges!

They weigh between 100 to 150 lbs.

Leatherback:

How long do you think a leatherback can hold

its breath? More than an hour! They can dive

over

3,500 feet deep. They eat jellyfish.

They weigh between 550 to 1,700 lbs.

LOGGERHEAD BLACK

GREEN KEMP’S RIDLEY

HAWKSBILL

LEATHERBACK FLATBACK

Interactive Links

7 types of sea turtles

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During the summer months, along Florida’s coast and its

barrier islands, you will find sea turtles coming ashore late

at night to lay their eggs – on the very beaches where they

were also hatched.

The females come up on the sand and burry about 100 –

150 ping pong sized eggs deep in a hole they dig with their

flippers. The eggs are almost rubbery, and so, do not break.

It is the temperature of the sand which determines whether

the babies will be male or female.

The loggerhead turtles will be about 2 inches in length when

hatched and must make a run for the water to survive.

It is critical that those living and visiting along the beach

during that time – keep the lights turned off at night. The

hatchlings can confuse porch lights and house lights for the

moon light along the horizon. If they run the wrong way –

they most likely won’t survive.

Sea turtles are mostly considered to be solitary animals. From the

moment of hatching – young turtles are on their own without

parental care. Although the hatchlings will work together to

escape the nest and make for the sea, and turtles can be found in

groups traveling or feeding – there is little other contact and

interaction between the animals besides their courtship.

~ gathered from: Florida’s Sea Turtles, by Florida Power and Light

1. Carapace

2. Carnivore

3. Herbivore

4. Migratory

5. Navigation

6. Solitary

7. Nesting

8. Hatchling

9. Reptiles

Answer Key for

vocabulary page

Stone crab: Loggerhead Food

Sea turtle

nesting & habits

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1. ____________________ The thick outer shell which covers a sea turtles

back.

2. ____________________ Meat eating sea turtles like leatherback,

loggerhead, and hawksbill enjoy jellyfish, sponges, crabs and conchs.

3. ____________________ Green sea turtles eat grasses and algae.

4. ____________________ Animals which navigate from one place to the

other during their life.

5. ____________________ An inner system which uses magnetic forces

designed by God to guide animals who migrate.

6. ____________________ Animals which live mostly alone and are not

considered to be particularly social.

7. ____________________ Sea turtles return to the same place where they

were hatched each year to lay eggs in the sand.

8. ____________________ A new baby sea turtle.

9. ____________________ Sea turtles have scaly skin and must breathe air.

Sea Turtle Vocabulary

Hatchling Reptiles Navigation

Herbivore Nesting Solitary

Carnivore Carapace Migratory

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What I

know about

Sea Turtles

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Psalms 95:5

The sea is His, for it was He who made it,

and His hands formed the dry land.

Psalms 95:5

The sea is His, for it was He who made it,

and His hands formed the dry land.

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Psalms 95:5

The sea is His, for it was He who made it, and His hands formed the dry land.

Psalms 95:5

The sea is His, for it was He who made it, and His hands formed the dry land.

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Z H I K L M T A C E G H G R A X

L E A T H E R B A C K S H E R L

H W L I E G R E E N J M N O S A

A B D X Y Z F G C H K L M P Q I

W S L O G G E R H E A D X Y Z P

K Q R S T W V A S B L A C K T S

S E A T U R T L E V J Q R A C I

B H A T C H L I N G T B S T R L

I R E P T I L E S L H G N E S T

L G I C A R A P A C E X Y A L I

L M I G R A T E W I B C L U V E

SEA TURTLE LOGGERHEAD

HATCHLING HAWKSBILL

REPTILES LEATHERBACK

CARAPACE GREEN

MIGRATE BLACK

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Sea Turtle Video

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FREE Turtle Coloring Sheets Here