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Turtles, turtles, turtles -

There are approximately 300 species of turtles and tortoises that currently exist. Sadly, 129 of these species are endangered.

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Water or land? -

Turtles can be classified as aquatic, semi-aquatic, or semi-terrestrial, depending on how much time they spend in water versus on land. However, even turtles that live on land need water to swim in.

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Sea turtles -

There are seven species of sea turtle: Hawksbill, loggerhead, leatherback, olive ridley, green, flatback, and Kemp’s ridley. Six of them are at risk of becoming extinct, the flatback being the only exception. For now, at least.

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Ancient creatures -

Turtles are some of the longest-surviving creatures in Earth’s history. Leatherback turtles have existed in the same form since dinosaurs walked the Earth! It's not hard to imagine this guy next to a stegosaurus.

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Jonathan -

Depending on the species, turtles can live anywhere from 10 to 150-plus years. The oldest known turtle in the world at the moment is a tortoise called Jonathan who lives on the South Atlantic Island of St. Helena. He turned 190 in 2022.

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A record-breaking turtle -

In 1988, the largest leatherback turtle ever recorded was found in Wales in the UK. The enormous creature measured 8 ft (2.5 m) in length and 8 ft (2.5m) across, from flipper tip to flipper tip. It weighed almost 2,000 pounds (900 kg).

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Size range -

Sea turtles vary greatly in size. The smallest species, Kemp’s ridley, are around 20 in (70 cm) long and can weigh up to 90 lbs (40 kg). The largest, the leatherback, can grow up to 70 in (180 cm) in length and weigh as much as 440 lbs (200 kg).

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Alagba -

In 2019, the royal palace of Nigeria’s Oyo state announced that their resident tortoise, Alagba, had died at the age of 344. Experts are skeptical that Alagba was truly over 300 years old, but she certainly lived to a grand old age.

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Iggy - The largest turtle in Europe at the moment is Iggy, who lives at the Istanbul Sea Life Aquarium. She weighs 440 lbs (200 kg)! She’s pictured here being served up some dinner by a friendly diver.

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Expert breath-holders -

Turtles are reptiles, meaning that even species that live in water need to breathe air. However, they can stay underwater for an exceptionally long time without coming up for air. They can last hours at a time, sometimes even sleeping underwater.

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Land lovers -

Most sea turtles spend the majority of their lives in the water and only come to land to nest and lay eggs. The green sea turtles of the Pacific Island are the exception. They sometimes pop to the shore to bask in the sun!

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Turtle diet -

Some turtles are carnivores and feed on other sea creatures, some are herbivores and only eat plant matter like seagrass and algae, while others are omnivores and like to eat both. Baby turtles often start off as carnivores and incorporate more greens into their diets as they age.

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Turtle diet -

Land turtles tend to eat bugs, grass, and fruit, while sea turtles eat soft creatures like squid and jellyfish, or plant matter like algae and seagrass. Plastic pollution in the ocean is a huge issue for turtles because they can easily confuse a piece of soft plastic for a jellyfish.

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Color preference -

Researchers have observed that turtles prefer the colors red, orange, and yellow. They seem to be more curious about those colors when searching for food.

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Herbivore species - The green sea turtle is a unique species, as it is predominantly herbivore. A green sea turtle's diet mostly consists of algae and seagrass, which is what gives them their distinctive green tinge.

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Toothless turtles -

Turtles don’t have any teeth. Instead, they use their strong beak-like mouths to grip and tear their food. Their beaks are made of keratin, the same type of protein found in human nails.

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Turtle shells - Turtles’ shells are actually part of their skeleton. They are made of over 50 bones fused together, including the turtle’s spine and ribcage. They literally wear their bones outside of their bodies like armor! Some turtles can even tuck their heads all the way inside their shells for extra protection.

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Turtle shells - Turtles also have a second inner shell called the plastron. The plastron connects with the outer shell, known as the carapace, to create a sort of skeletal box.

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Buoyancy -

Turtles also have some soft spongey bones that help them float. They’re experts at adjusting the amount of air in their lungs to improve buoyancy when necessary.

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Migration - Turtles have a reputation for being slow, but they can actually travel huge distances in a short period of time. The longest recorded journey made by a sea turtle was nearly 13,000 miles (20,900 km)! A female leatherback traveled this distance in 647 days while migrating from Indonesia to the west coast of the US. She averaged a distance of 20 miles (32 km) per day.

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Nesting habits -

Regardless of their wanderlust, female turtles will always return to the same beach where they were born to lay their own eggs. They have an excellent sense of direction thanks to their sensitivity to the Earth's magnetic fields.

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Amniotes -

Turtles are amniotes, meaning they always lay their eggs on land even if they live in water. Sea turtles come out of the water to create nests in the sand of their native beach and lay their eggs. Each group of eggs is called a clutch.

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Turtle burps -

Female turtles sometimes make strange noises while nesting. They can sound similar to a human burp!

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Laying eggs -

During nesting season, female sea turtles will lay over 100 eggs in a nest and then repeat the process multiple times in different locations over a period of several months.

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Hatchlings -

The eggs will usually hatch after two months and the baby turtles take a couple of days to dig themselves out of their nest in the sand. They then hurry to the ocean to begin their lives.

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Baby tooth -

Turtles are born with a single tooth, the sole purpose of which is to help them hatch out of their egg. They lose it within the first hour of their lives and are then toothless.

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Boy or girl? -

Interestingly, the gender of the turtle is determined by the temperature of the sand. Global warming is creating an imbalance in certain areas, as higher temperatures are more likely to produce females.

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High risk -

Young turtles face many dangers, from predators to plastic pollution, and their chances of survival are low. It’s estimated that only one out of every 1,000 hatchlings survive to full maturity.

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The lost years -

The early life of a turtle is a bit of a mystery. Once they hatch and enter the ocean, they can spend up to 20 years in the deep sea before they have fully matured and return to the shallow waters to forage. This period is known as the “lost years.”

Sources: (World Wildlife Fund) (National Geographic Kids) (Petco) (Smithsonian) (BBC)

See also: The longest living animals on earth

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