5 FACTS ABOUT SEA TURTLES
Sea turtles can be found in waters all around the world. Learn more about these gentle reptiles with these five facts:
- Sea turtles shared the planet with dinosaurs. As some of the oldest species on Earth, they have been around for 110 million years, during the time period when the T. Rex ruled the world.
- Leatherback turtles are the largest species of sea turtles. Leatherbacks can grow to seven feet in length and weigh more than 2,000 lbs.
- Sea turtles have varied appetites. Each species is different, but sea turtles like to snack on everything from jellyfish to crabs to lobsters.
- Loggerhead turtles head home to nest. Remarkably, female loggerheads go back to the exact beach where they were born so they can mate and lay their own eggs. The turtles use Earth’s magnetic field to guide them home each time.
- Like many marine animals, sea turtles are under threat. Six of the seven different species of sea turtles are classified as endangered or vulnerable due to a variety of threats, including human activity. Poaching, habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, and fishing equipment entanglement are harming sea turtles around the world.
