I’ve only seen sea turtles once in my life, but it has been an incredible experience. It was on a beach in Guadeloupe called Malendure, which is well known for sea turtles because the seaweed they eat can be found there. I didn´t have to wait long for my luck in the water until the first one passed by. It was wonderful to watch this gentle gliding animal on the seabed. In peace of mind, it was snacking some seaweed. This encounter inspired me to collect 5 amazing facts about sea turtles.
1. Sea Turtles probably survived the dinosaurian extinction
One of the most surprising things to me was that the oldest sea turtle fossil dates back more than 120 million years. 1 and thus survived the dinosaur extinction, which was 65 million years ago. 2 It has many characteristics with modern sea turtles in common like its paddle-like limbs and a top shell known called the carapace. Nowadays we count seven sea turtle species in our ocean. They are widespread but avoid cold regions. 3
2. Sea Turtles migrate vast distances between feeding areas and nesting grounds
Sea turtles can travel wide distances for mating, laying eggs or food. 3 A satellite tracked a leatherback turtle travelling “12,774 miles (20,558 kilometers) from Indonesia to Oregon” (Thompson, 2008) 4. This is one of the largest vertebrate migrations ever recorded. 4
3. Sea Turtles can dive for up to 7 hours without taking a breath
Sea turtles are incapable of breathing underwater. To take a breath, they must dive to the water’s surface. They do, however, occasionally dive up to 1000 feet for hunting, so they are anatomically designed to hold their breath for 4-7 hours. The Leatherback Sea is a perfectionist when it comes to diving abilities. Their shells are flexible allowing them to uptake more oxygen and they can also store oxygen in their muscles and blood. 3
4. The sand temperature determines the sex of the sea turtle
Like other reptiles, sea turtles do not have Sex Chromosomes. Their sex is determined by the temperature in the nesting ground. A warmer temperature is likely to create female hatchlings, while a colder temperature produces male ones. 5 Doesn´t it sound a little crazy? Image your sex would have been determined by the environmental conditions around your mother’s womb.
5. Sea turtels can live more than 50 years
I also wondered how old sea turtels could get. Sea turtles can live for up to 50 years or more, giving them a life span comparable to humans. Most marine turtles mature in two or three decades and continue to reproduce for another ten years. 6
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, 2015. Oldest fossil sea turtle discovered. Phys. Org. Available at: https://phys.org/news/2015-09-oldest-fossil-sea-turtle.html [11.12.2022].
- USGS, s.a. When did dinosaurs become extinct? Available at: https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/when-did-dinosaurs-become-extinct [11.12.2022].
- AZ Animals, s.a. 10 Incredible Sea Turtle Facts. Available at: https://a-z-animals.com/blog/10-incredible-sea-turtle-facts/ [11.12.2022].
- Andrea Thompson, 2008. Turtle Migrates 12,774 Miles. Life Science. Available at: https://www.livescience.com/9562-turtle-migrates-12-774-miles.html [11.12.2022].
- Science Daily, 2020. Scientists develop new way to identify the sex of sea turtle hatchlings. Available at: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200407093922.htm [11.12.2022].
- WWF, s.a. How long do sea turtles live? And other sea turtle facts. Available at: https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/how-long-do-sea-turtles-live-and-other-sea-turtle-facts#:~:text=What%20we%20do%20know%20is,reproductive%20for%20another%2010%20years [11.12.2022].
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