Do you know that sea turtles are the most ancient inhabitants of our planet? It was their distant ancestors who saw dinosaurs and were eyewitnesses of global warming and changing climatic conditions on Earth. They are funny and interesting. Watching the behavior of these marine life is fascinating. We invite you to learn more about them.
This is interesting
Each turtle has its own house, which is always and under any circumstances nearby. The shell, or body of a turtle, is round in shape. Unlike freshwater turtles, sea turtles cannot hide their legs and head in their shells.
The life expectancy of these creatures is about 80 years. The largest sea turtle can weigh up to a ton and can sometimes measure up to 2 meters.
They swim in all seas and oceans where there are warm currents. The most interesting thing is that the turtle does not build a nest where it lives and eats. She usually needs to swim several thousand kilometers to lay her eggs.
Do you wonder whatthe turtle that lives in the sea eats? Nutrition depends on what subspecies it is. But at the same time, all sea turtles love to eat jellyfish, snails, shrimps, crabs and clams. As you can see, these creatures are gourmets. Also on the menu of the sea turtle there are algae.
Reproduction and first steps of little turtles
It is difficult to say exactly (and even approximately) how many sea turtles are today. This is because only females crawl ashore to lay their eggs. An interesting fact is that the female will nest in the same place where she was born herself. She first digs a hole with her paws, and then lays her eggs in it. It will be very difficult for her children to crawl out of the ground. But males come to the mainland only once: when they are born and then crawl towards the water.
The path of the little turtle after it hatched from the egg is long and dangerous. Her shell is not yet strong enough to protect against enemies. Yes, and it is still difficult for her to touch her paws. Many newly born sea turtles never make it to the water. If it is not eaten during the journey, it may burn in the sun.
There is not much information about the mating of turtles living in the sea. It is difficult to observe their life under water. They are known to mate from spring to mid-autumn. Sea turtles carry their offspring for about one and a half to two and a half months. Each pregnancy lays about 150 eggs in one pregnancy.
Turtles are threatened with extinction
Global warming is veryscary for turtles. Today the question is raised about how to protect them from extinction. The fact is that it is the temperature that affects whether a female or a male is born. If the temperature in Celsius is above 30 degrees, then a female will be born. Due to global warming, there is a chance that males will not be born at all.
In addition to rising temperatures, sea turtles are threatened by rising water levels on the planet. Storms, storms, tides destroy nests with eggs.
Yes, and people, even realizing that their descendants may never see a living sea turtle, continue to exterminate these creatures. The shell is very expensive on the black market. Fishermen-poachers, catching turtles, take only the shell, and destroy the turtle.
I am glad that the extermination of turtles is prohibited worldwide. Violators and poachers will face severe punishment. Although, as it turns out in reality, even strict punishments and prohibitions do not stop turtle hunters…
