Sea Turtles are a unique species. A female Sea Turtle can lay up to 200 eggs at once. Cold weather is fatal to the hatching of the eggs: it can kill the turtle in the egg if the temperature is below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. After 50 days in the eggs, the turtles start breaking out of their shells. A Sea Turtle's body shell is made from an inner layer of scales. About only 5 out of the 200 Sea Turtles will survive from the dangerous waters; that is the reason so many eggs are laid.

Characteristics of Sea Turtles

Sea Turtles do not need any training whatsoever to swim because they are born with that ability already. Green Sea Turtles are very much like you and me; they breathe through their lungs, the only thing we don't have is a main flipper, which would be like having an extra leg to let us walk faster. Sea Turtles can live anywhere but Florida's beaches are the main source of Sea Turtles. An average Sea Turtle can grow up to be 28 inches long, and weigh up to 1,500 pounds. Green Sea Turtles are carnivores, eating fish, birds, and amphibians. Sea Turtles are very sensitive to sound. The Sea Turtle's eardrum lays flat on its head behind its eye. Sea Turtles have better senses of smell than a shark or a dog. The bad part about them is that they are color-blind. Leatherback Sea Turtles have high concentrations of red blood cells. Their muscles are stronger than a human's. The Leatherback Sea Turtle has no scales in their shell. They have rubbery fibers instead.

Where Sea Turtles Live

Sea Turtles are found in warm temperate seas. Most adult Sea Turtles are found in shallow, coastal waters, bays, lagoons, and estuaries. Sea Turtles enjoy cool brackish waters. Sea Turtles bury themselves underwater in sand or mud and remain dormant from November though March. Loggerhead Sea Turtles are the most common Sea Turtles to be found in the southeastern part of the United States. They are mostly found at shipwreck sights.

Interesting Facts about Sea Turtles

• Most Sea Turtles are nomads and travel about 1,300 miles a day! Leatherback Sea Turtles have the longest migration of all Sea Turtles.

• In 1947, 92,000 Sea Turtle nests were estimated. Since then the number of nests has been going down.

• The Hawksbill Sea Turtle is probably one of the Sea Turtle you see most. They are given this name because of their hawk shaped bill. However, the Hawksbill Sea Turtle also is the most endangered!

• A Sea Turtle's shell is tough as a rock, so when diving into waters it would never crack.

• Leatherback Sea Turtles can dive more than 300 meters. Sea Turtles can stay submerged underwater for as long as 5 hours. But this is dangerous because it slows down the Sea Turtles heart rate to conserve oxygen. 10 minutes can elapse in between heart beats.

• On a Sea Turtle's shell there are strange markings. A lost culture has believed they could tell when the end of the world could be by reading the marks.

• The deep green Sea Turtle is killed because of its beautiful skin. The Hawksbill Sea Turtle is killed for products like shells, leather, perfumes, and cosmetics. They are sold for high prices, up to $250 a kilogram! This is a major factor and is killing many Hawksbills.

• The Leatherback's staple food is the jelly fish. They feed on a variety of crabs, jellyfish, sea-lice, and mollusks.

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