LEATHERBACK
Dermochelys coriacea (Dermocheliidae)
The largest of the sea turtles, leatherbacks reach more than 1.8 m (6 ft) in length and more than 640 kg (1,410 lbs) in weight. During their long migrations, leatherbacks regularly dive to depths greater than 1,000 m (3,281 ft) in search of gelatinous zooplankton to eat. Leatherbacks are rapidly declining in many areas of the world.
Dermochelys Coriacea
Vulnerable
- Circumglobal
- Present in all world’s oceans except The Arctic and The Antarctic
- Nesting areas in tropics
- Non-nesting range extends to sub-polar region
ADULT
- Length 5′ – 6′ Ft
- Weight 660 – 1,400 Pds
- Length 2″
- Weight 1.5 Oz
For all life stages, gelatinous zooplankton (jellies and jelly-like organisms)
- Reproduce every 2-4 years
- Lay 4-8 nets per year
- Lay 50-90 egg is about 2″ in and Weighs about 3 Oz
- The eggs weigh roughly 80 grams
- Incubation period is approximately 60 days long
- The leatherback is the only remaining member of its taxonomic family (Dermochelyidae).
- Leatherbacks rely on a unique suite of adaptations including large body size, changes in activity and metabolic rate, peripheral insulation (i.e. fat), and adjustments in blood flow to maintain stable core body temperatures in varying water temperatures from temperate to tropical latitudes.
- The largest leatherback ever reported was an adult male found in Wales. It was greater than 2 meters (6.6 feet) long and 900 kg (1980 lbs) in mass.
- The longest recorded leatherback migration was 13,000 miles – one way!
- Leatherbacks dive much deeper than other turtles, regularly reaching depths beyond 1,000 m (3,281 ft). The leatherback’s deepest recorded dives exceed 1,250 m (3,900 ft).
- They are the largest sea turtle in the world!
- The average life expectancy is 10-20 years but can live up to 50 years.
- You can find them worldwide in tropical and subtropical oceans.
- They have special adaptations to protect them from sea jelly venom called papillae.
- They can dive to depths of 4,200 feet, deeper than any other turtle, and they can hold their breath for up to 85 minutes.
LOGGERHEAD
Caretta caretta
Loggerheads are named for their large heads, jaws powerful enough to crush an adult queen conch. Like most sea turtles, loggerheads are famed for their vast migrations. As a species that may travel thousands of miles across ocean basins, loggerheads are in grave danger due to worldwide habitat loss and incidental capture by fishermen. During their open ocean phase, they feed on a wide variety of floating items. Unfortunately, trash and other debris discarded by humans also tends to accumulate in their habitat. Small fragments of plastic are often mistaken for food and eaten by turtles.
Caretta caretta
Vulnerable
- Circumglobal
- Nesting areas are in tropical to sub-tropical regions
- Non-nesting range extends to temperate regions
ADULT
- Length 2-3.6 Ft
- Weight 440 Pds
- Length approximately 25 mm
- Mass 15-20 g
For all life stages, mostly benthic invertebrates (crabs, other crustaceans, and mollusks) and occasionally jellies
- Reproduce every 2-4 years
- Lay 2-5 clutches of eggs per season
- Lay 80-120 eggs per clutch
- Large ping-pong ball size eggs weigh 30-40 grams
- Incubation period approximately 60 days long
- Can take 20-30 years to reach sexual maturity
- Loggerheads exhibit trans-oceanic developmental migrations from nesting beaches to immature foraging areas on opposite sides of ocean basins.
- A large juvenile loggerhead named Adelita was the first sea turtle to be tracked by satellite across an entire ocean basin.
- Her approximately 6500 mile journey reached feeding areas off Baja California, Mexico, to coastal areas off her natal Japan corroborated the link across the North Pacific Ocean established by genetic studies.
- In the North Atlantic Ocean, small juveniles feast on mats of Sargassum for years before returning back to nearshore areas off the eastern coast of the United States as large juveniles and adults
- They are the most widespread sea turtle species in the world.
- You can recognize them by their reddish-brown carapace (upper shell) and yellow underbelly and their strong jaws that they use to crunch through the hard shells of crustaceans and mollusks
- They are a long-lived species and don’t reach sexual maturity until they are 35 years old.
FLATBACK
Dermochelys coriacea (Dermocheliidae)
The flatback is the least studied of the sea turtles and has one of the smallest geographic ranges. The only endemic sea turtle species, flatbacks nest solely along the northern coast of Australia, and live solely on the continental shelf between Australia, southern Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.
Capitalize Natator depressus
Data Deficient (Conservation Status Unknown)
- Nesting only on northern coast of Australia
- All life stages occur on continental shelf north of Australian continent.
ADULT
- Length 2.5-3 Ft
- Weight 220 Pds
- Length 4.5 cm
- Weight 1.5 oz
For all life stages, mostly benthic invertebrates (crabs, other crustaceans, and mollusks) and sometimes jellies
- Reproduce every 2-4 years
- Lay 2-3 clutches of eggs per season
- Lay 50-70 eggs per clutch
- Billiard ball size eggs weigh 70-80 grams
- Incubation period approximately 60 days long
- For a long time, flatbacks were thought to be a type of green turtle, but were finally described as a separate species in 1988.
- Flatbacks have the largest eggs and hatchlings relative to their adult body size of all sea turtles.
- Flatbacks have a unique physiology that allows them to stay active underwater for longer periods than most other species.
- Over much of their nesting range they are Hunted by saltwater crocodiles, which have also been know to attack human beings. Because of this, there are virtually no underwater photos of adults taken in the wild.
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Flatback turtle facts:
- Flatback turtles live in the coastal waters of Australia and Papua New Guinea.
- Flatback turtles primarily eat soft-bodied prey, such as jellyfish,
- sea cucumbers and soft corals.
- Female flatback turtles nest on Australian beaches only. During the nesting season, flatbacks lay two to three clutches, each containing about 50 eggs.1
GREEN
Caretta caretta
The green turtle has the most numerous and widely dispersed nesting sites of the seven species, and was once highly sought after for its body fat – a key ingredient in the popular delicacy, ‘green turtle soup.’ Although it has become illegal to trade them in many parts of the world, green turtles and their eggs continue to be consumed.
Chelonia Mydas
Endangered
- Circumglobal
- Nesting areas throughout tropical regions are often on islands and coral atolls in addition to mainland beaches
- Non-nesting range extends to temperate regions during immature stages
ADULT
- Length 2.5-4 feet
- Weight 660 Pds
- Length 3 cm
- Weight .8 Oz
- For immature stages, soft-bodied invertebrates such as jellies and jelly-like organisms.
- For later immature stages and adults, mainly herbivorous, but also sessile invertebrates such as sea pens soft corals
- Reproduce every 2-4 years
- Lay 2-5 clutches of eggs per season
- Lay 80-120 eggs per clutch
- Large ping-pong is Sized eggs weigh approximately 1.5 – 1.8 oz
- Incubation period approximately 60 days long
- Can take 20-40 years to reach sexual maturity
- Green sea turtles were important for European explorers to the New World; they provided an essential source of food, and they helped crews navigate around islands at night by the increased volume of their aggregated breathing
- The former abundance of Green sea turtles in the Caribbean is estimated to have been as high as 500 million individuals
- Eastern Pacific Green sea turtles are termed ‘Green sea turtles’ because of their darker coloration. They tend to be smaller and lay fewer eggs than Green Sea turtles elsewhere.
- Green sea turtles nest in highly diverse types of habitats, including archipelagoes, isolated coral atolls, mainland beaches, in all tropical and sub-tropical oceans
- The Green sea turtle is the largest species of hard-shelled turtles.
- Green sea turtles are thought to live for 60 to 70 years, reaching
- Green sea turtles are named after their green-colored fat.
- Green sea turtles live all over the world and can be found off the.
- Typically, only female sea turtles will visit shores during their lifetime, but male and female green turtles are known to come ashore and.
- Female Green sea turtles return to the same beach where they.
KEMP'S RIDLEY
Dermochelys coriacea (Dermocheliidae)
The Kemp’s ridley is the smallest of the sea turtles and has an extremely restricted range, nesting only along the Caribbean shores of northern Mexico and in Texas, U.S.A. Fifty years ago, the Kemp’s ridley was near extinction. Although this species now shows signs of recovery, fishing nets and coastal development continue to threaten the species, and much work remains to be done before it can be considered safe.
Lepidochelys Kempii
Critically Endangered
- Most restricted geographic range of all sea turtle species. Only nesting areas are in Rancho Nuevo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, and in Texas, U.S.
- Non-nesting range extends between the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean.
ADULT
- Length 1.8 – 2.2 ft
- Weight 100 pds
- Length 2.5 cm
- Weight .5 oz
For all life stages, mostly benthic invertebrates (crabs, other crustaceans, and mollusks) and some jellies
- Reproduce every 1-3 years
- Lay 2-3 clutches of eggs per season
- Lay 90-130 eggs per clutch
- Ping-pong ball sized eggs weigh approximately 1 oz each
- Incubation period is approximately 60 days long
- Takes 10-15 years to reach sexual maturity
- Along with olive ridleys, Kemp’s ridleys are the only sea turtles species to exhibit synchronous mass nesting, termed arribadas at end of sentence meaning arrival by sea.
- During the arribadas, the Spanish word for ‘arrivals,’ tens of thousands of female turtles nest during the same 3-7 day period once a month.
- Along with olive ridleys, and, to a lesser extent, flatbacks, Kemp’s ridleys are the only sea turtle species to commonly nest during the day a.
- An incredible Wordl-wide effort has been made to save Kemp’s ridleys from extinction by translocating eggs from beaches in Mexico to beaches in Texas.
HAWKSBILL
Caretta caretta
Named for its sharp, pointed beak, the hawksbill feeds primarily on reef sponges, invertebrate organisms whose bodies contain tiny indigestible glass needles. The hawksbill has a beautiful, translucent shell, which has long been exploited for use in turtle shell jewelry. Though international trade of turtle shell has been prohibited, illegal trafficking continues.
Eretmochelys Imbricata
Critically Endangered
- Circumglobal.
- Nesting areas in tropics.
- Non-nesting range is generally restricted to tropical regions, although during immature stages it extends to sub-tropical regions.
ADULT
- Length 2.5 – 3Ft
- Weigth 330 Pds
- Length 1.2 In
- Weigth .15 oz
- Large juveniles and adults predominantly eat sponges and other sessile invertebrates associated with coral reefs and rocky reefs. Add at end of sentence.
- Reproduce every 1-5 years
- Lay 3-5 clutches of eggs per season
- Lay 120-200 eggs per clutch
- Ping-pong ball sized eggs weights approximently 1 oz
- Incubation period is approximately 60 days long
- Hawksbills are the only marine consumer whose diet predominantly comprises sponges, and thus play a major role in tropical, coral reef ecosystems
- Hawksbills commonly nest within beach vegetation on secluded, low-energy beaches
- Hawksbills in the Eastern Pacific are probably the most endangered sea turtle population in the world.
- Hawksbill turtles are named after their pointed beaks,
- which resemble those of birds.
- Hawksbill turtles are up to 45 inches (114 cm) long and
- weigh 110 to 150 pounds (50 to 68 kg).
- Female hawksbill turtles return to the same nesting grounds
- where they were born to lay their eggs.
- Hawksbill turtles can be found in the coastal waters of more
- than 108 countries.
- Hawksbill turtles help keep reefs healthy by feeding primarily on sponges that out-compete corals.
OLIVE RIDLEY
Dermochelys coriacea (Dermocheliidae)
Lepidochelys olivacea (Cheloniidae)
- 6 LATERAL SCUTES
- 5 VERTEBRAL SCUTES
2.5 FEET – (75 cm)
2 PAIRS OF PREFRONTAL SCALES
1 CLAW ON FRONT FLIPPERS
OVAL SHAPE
NATURAL PREDATORS
HUMAN CONSUMPTION
COASTAL DEVELOPMENT
