5 Facts to Flip Out About on World Sea Turtle Day

Today, we celebrate World Sea Turtle Day, a global celebration of our flippered friends as well as a timely reminder of the importance of protecting all wildlife. It falls on Dr. Archie Carr’s birthday, a pioneer in sea turtle biology, whose legacy includes founding the Sea Turtle Conservancy.

Unfortunately, the rate of plastic trash and debris in our oceans is a very real threat to marine species. One of the most powerful campaigns drawing attention to this issue has been around  the sea turtles, a campaign sparked after a male Ridley sea turtle was found with a plastic straw completely stuck in its nose, making it hard for the turtle to breathe. 

So aside from the perils of plastic straws what else should we know about sea turtles? 

1. Surf and Turf: Domains of Sea Turtles

While almost all adult sea turtles can be found on the coasts of warmer tropical waters, different species actually prefer particular domains, with varying habitats and distributions. Loggerhead turtles  are found worldwide, although leatherbacks have the widest distribution as the most oceanic. Contrarily, flatbacks – with the most restricted range around Australia – and olive ridleys stick to coastal waters, not venturing beyond their respective continental shelves. This provides a plethora of nesting sites in Costa Rica, Mexico and India for the olives, being the most abundant species.

Kemp's ridley, hawksbills and green sea turtles are all a little more unique. Kemp's prefer shallow areas with muddy or sandy bottoms with tons of crustaceans, hanging out in the Gulf of America, known globally as the Gulf of Mexico, with the occasional vacation to Europe. Hawksbills are the most tropical, enjoying the central Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Regions. Their different life stages require different habitats, so the global strip along the equator offers a plethora of habitats with beloved nearshore coral reefs and foraging grounds. 

Finally, green sea turtles stick to the protected shores and bays on the West coasts of South and North America.

2. Let Them Eat Crab Cake

Contrary to popular belief, not all turtles enjoy munching on jellyfish. Sea turtles have different food preferences. In fact, sea turtles can be omnivores, carnivores, or herbivores depending on the species and even more interesting, their jaw structures are unique to their species.

Starting with omnivorous turtles, we have the Australian flatbacks and olive ridleys. The two have similar jaw structures, but flatbacks have a more rounded skull similar to green turtles, while the olive ridley turtles are more triangular with V-shaped jaws and a hook-shaped beak. Both enjoy plants, fish, crabs, and jellies in their daily meals.

The carnivores are next, with loggerheads, leatherbacks and Kemp's ridleys (an important distinction between their olive counterparts). Loggerheads can crush conch shells with their powerful thick V-shaped jaw, while leatherbacks have a more rounded skull with a double-cusped jaw (perfect for latching onto gelatine-like prey such as jellyfish). Kemp’s ridleys have a similar skull to olives, where the hook lets them snap open their favorite meal: blue crabs. 

Third is the sole herbivore of the group, the green turtles. With a short snout and round skull, these sea turtles are able to grind vegetation like seaweed with a serrated plate in their beak. 

Last but not least are the hawksbills, classified as “spongivores” for their almost exclusive sponge consumption!

3. Pearl of the Sea: You Can’t Get Rid(ley) of Them

Did you know that the smallest sea turtles can still weigh up to 100 pounds? Among the seven species of sea turtles, the Kemp’s ridley is the rarest. Two feet long in adulthood, and anywhere from 70 to 100 pounds, they are also the only ones with a nearly circular shell. Unfortunately, these turtles are also classified as critically endangered, with their number having reduced drastically since the 1900s.

Like the olive ridleys, they typically spend several hours nesting in large groups called “arribadas”, which is Spanish for “arrival”. Since large groups come ashore at the same time, many eggs are laid and eventually hatch together, which reduces the risk of eggs and hatchlings being killed by predators. 

They’ll also take the night shift, being the only species that consistently nests during the day. With strong enough currents these turtles can also make their way from their homes in the Gulf of America and North Atlantic waters all the way to Europe! 

4. Take a Breather

Grab your snorkel, we’re taking a dive! Among the colorful coral, fish, and occasional shark, you’ll find sea turtles gliding about the reef. 

But despite their deep-sea adventures and cartoon portrayals, like us, sea turtles can’t actually breathe underwater. Classified as reptiles, they don’t have gills that filter in oxygen like fish do and instead need to resurface to breathe air relatively often. Swimming requires a lot of energy, so it isn’t surprising they need to come up every few minutes at their most active periods. However, they have a definite advantage when they are resting, and can remain underwater for up to two hours, when not active, without taking a breath! 

5. Climate Change is Changing Our Critters

Sea turtles can lay multiple nests of roughly 100 to 125 eggs, nestled into a hole in the sand formed by their rear flippers. The temperature of the sand can impact the size of these hatchlings, and the success of the hatching.

While humans find joy in pink and blue confetti, the sex of turtles is determined by the temperature of the sand when the eggs are incubating. A warmer incubation period, around 29.5 to 34 degrees Celsius, will produce more female hatchlings otherwise known as newborn baby turtles. Cooler temperatures, around 24 to 29.5 degrees Celsisus, lead to male hatchlings, with fluctuating temperatures producing a mix. 

Sadly, due to rising global temperatures there have been less male hatchlings. Even more, microplastic pollution may worsen this issue. Research has indicated that sand mixed with microplastics heats up the sand even more, with dark pigmentend plastic being the worst kind. In 2022, microplastics were found in the bottom of nests at green sea turtle hatching grounds at Qilianyu in the South China Sea.

Just Keep Swimming

Worldwide, conservation efforts in protecting habitats and nests have helped many sea turtles to rebound.

But sea turtles are still endangered, leatherbacks being the most threatened, and further research is needed to ensure their survival. It’s been a decade since the first outcry on plastic straws, so it’s up to us to keep learning and doing more. Check out our Turtle Quiz to see how much you know about our shelled superheroes and if you want to help sea turtles, consider supporting our work so we can keep amplifying their plight and fighting plastic pollution.

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