Let's Protect The Sea Turtles

▸ Sea turtles are marine reptiles and one of earth's most ancient animals

▸ Sea turtles have been found as far north as Alaska

▸ Sea turtles are incapable of retracting their head and legs into their shells as other turtles do

▸ They spend the majority of their lives in the ocean

▸ Sea turtles can live to be over 80 years old

▸ Sea turtles (like other turtles) have no teeth, but the jaw of each species is specifically designed for its food source

▸ Sea turtles hear vibration more than sound as we know it

▸ Their eyesight underwater is good

▸ They have an excellent sense of smell

▸ There are seven species of sea turtle

▸ Now listed as Critically Endangered excepting the Flatback Sea Turtle which is listed as Endangered

▸ The Kemp's Ridley is the smallest (2 ft long, 100 lbs.) and most endangered sea turtle

▸ The Leatherback is the largest sea turtle, reaching lengths of 10 feet and weights of 2,000 pounds

▸ The Loggerhead is perhaps the most recognizable sea turtle in the United States

▸ All sea turtles nest on coastal beaches

▸ All female sea turtles lay more than one "clutch," or group of eggs, each nesting season

▸ The female comes ashore, digs a deep hole with her rear flippers and then lays her eggs in the soft sand

▸ Most clutches contain 60 – 200 eggs, depending on species

▸ When the female is finished, she will carefully cover the eggs and use her front flippers to "knead" the sand and obscure any trace of the nest

▸ The temperature of the sands will determine the sex of the hatchlings—the warmer the sand, the more females will be born

▸ After an incubation period of 45 – 70 days (dependent on temperature and turtle species) the young will emerge

▸ They will not leave the protective cover of the sand until night, when they will dash for the sea

▸ Hatchlings need to follow reflected moonlight and starlight to find the sea