WORLD SEA TURTLE DAY

Today we celebrate World Sea Turtle Day.  My mind remembers the sea turtle sanctuary that my niece and I visited on our Caribbean cruise some years back.  They are amazing.  What's really amazing is the fact that they have outlived the dinosaurs, and the dinosaurs went extinct some 65 million years ago.

There are seven recognized species, each unique.  Their shells are made up of over 50 bones that are fused together.  They literally wear their bones on the outside.  Some sea turtles live over 100 years.  They use the Earth's magnetic field to navigate, helping them return to their nesting grounds.  Momma sea turtles often return to the same beach where they were born to lay their eggs.  Just think about that....really think.  Tiny birds and sea turtles, alike, use the Earth's magnetic field to navigate over long distances.  No maps.  No GPS.  Only their Nature-gifted magnetic sense.

Many sea turtles are able to dive almost 1000 feet and hold their breath for up to 5 hours.  They're powerful swimmers, reaching speeds of up to 22 mph.  Green sea turtles eat seagrass.....which explains their nickname 'lawnmowers of the ocean.'

Hawksbill

As we celebrate them today, let me introduce the species:

Hawksbill Turtle.  Named for its narrow, pointed beak, which they use to get food out from the crevices in the coral reefs. 

Green Turtle.  Gets its name from the green color of its fat due to its diet of seagrass and algae.

Leatherback

Green

Leatherback Turtle.  The largest sea turtle, unique for their leathery shell (rather than a bony shell).

Olive Ridley

Olive Ridley Turtle.  Known for their mass nesting events called arribadas, where thousands of turtles nest on the same beach at once.   The olive in their name comes from their olive-green colored shell.  The origin of Ridley isn't known for sure.  Some speculate perhaps it's derived from the word riddle.

Kemp's Ridley

Kemp's Ridley Turtle.  This one is named after Richard M. Kemp, a Florida fisherman who first described the species.  He submitted the turtle for identification in the early 1900s.  Again, the ridley in the name is not definitely known.   In Texas, Kemp's Ridley sea turtles are seen in the near-shore Gulf of America waters and bays.  

A nesting
Loggerhead

Loggerhead Turtle.  Named for its large head, which supports powerful jaw muscles  that enable it to feed on hard-shelled prey.  

Flatback.  Found only in Australian waters.  It has a flattened, sloping shell.

Flatback

    

World Sea Turtle Day is celebrated on Dr. Archie Carr's birthday.  Dr. Carr is remembered as the "father of sea turtle biology."  His research and dedication brought attention to the threatening conditions that continue to impact sea turtles.