10 Fascinating Facts About Sea Turtles
Sea turtles are long-lived reptiles, some living over 50 years, reaching sexual maturity around 30. They have existed for more than 100 million years, but human threats like poaching, habitat loss, pollution, and climate change now endanger them.
1. They Are Quite Old
Sea turtles are among the oldest living organisms. Fossils date back at least 120 million years, meaning they coexisted with dinosaurs.
2. Sea Turtles Have No Teeth
They use a beak-like mouth made of keratin (the same substance as human fingernails) to grasp food.
3. Returning Home
Female sea turtles migrate to the same nesting sites where they were born to lay eggs.
4. Incredible Breath-Holding
Green turtles can hold their breath for up to five hours underwater by slowing their heartbeat.
5. Powerful Lifters
The leatherback turtle is the largest living turtle, weighing up to 900 kilograms.
6. Survival Odds
Only about one in 1,000 hatchlings survive to adulthood.
7. Gender Bender
The nest’s temperature determines hatchling gender: warmer nests produce more females, cooler nests produce more males.
8. Keep Swimming
Male sea turtles spend nearly their entire lives at sea, unlike females who come ashore to nest.
9. Turtle Tears
Turtles have glands that drain excess salt from their eyes, giving the appearance of crying.
10. Long Life
Sea turtles can live around 100 years, roughly the same number of eggs a female lays in her lifetime.
Final Words
The biggest threat to sea turtles is accidental capture in fishing gear. Plastic and human waste threaten feeding and nesting areas. Climate change also affects survival by altering sand temperatures, raising sea levels, and increasing storms, which impact hatchlings. Coral reef degradation further reduces key habitats for these vital marine species.
