Endangered Animals - Sea Turtle

Sea Turtles date back to long before the Age of the Reptiles, when their ancestors shared the world with dinosaurs. They live in the oceans from the far north to the far south, but only breed in warm waters.

Today seven species of sea turtle are critically endangered. Sea turtles are critical players in marine biodiversity and are highly migratory- breeding, nesting, and feeding across thousands of miles of ocean. They are air-breathing reptiles that have survived more than 110 million years of evolution. During their historic radiation that separated them from all other turtles, they split into two distinct family subgroups: the unique family Dermochelyidae, which consists of a single species, the Leatherback; and the six species of hard-shelled sea turtle in the family Cheloniidae.

Their shells consist of an upper part (carapace) and a lower section (plastron). Hard scales (or scutes) cover all but the leatherback, and the number and arrangement of these scutes can be used to determine the species. Sea turtles come in many different sizes, shapes and colors. The Olive ridley is usually less than 100 pounds, while the Leatherback has been recorded up to 2000 pounds. Sea turtles do not have teeth, but their jaws have modified "beaks" suited to their particular diet.

Sea turtles are found in every ocean on the planet but prefer to stay in coastal areas. They use tropical and sub-tropical beaches as nesting sites during reproduction. The populations of all seven species are distributed across the oceans, as they share the same migratory lifecycles.
The greatest threats to sea turtles today arise from human activities. The increasing development of coastal areas has resulted in both the loss and degradation of sea turtle nesting habitat.

Artificial lighting along beachfront areas may deter nesting females from coming ashore to lay their eggs and may disorient hatchlings and adults. At sea, turtles may become entangled in fishing line, or fatally consume waste dumped in the sea, such as plastics. They are hit by boats and drowned in the nets of commercial shrimpers. The increasing level of persistent pollutants in our seas and oceans including heavy metals like mercury and highly toxic chemicals is diminishing their chances of survival.

On land their eggs are often stolen and sold as a delicacy. Turtles are also captured to supply the trade for their meat, oil, leather and attractive shell.
These combined threats to the sea turtle may mean that some populations will decline to such low levels that they cannot recover. We may soon see the extinction of these magnificent and ancient animals.