I like animals; whether they live on land or in the sea, I like them all. I don’t think there isn’t one animal that doesn’t make me smile but the one that makes me the most happy is the sea turtle. Sea turtles, also called marine turtles, always seem to have a laid back appearance which might be derived from the movie, Finding Nemo, or just from the way they effortlessly glide through the ocean barely moving their flippers. Whatever it is, I just really like them and they make me smile. Maybe it is because of how adorable they look when turned into a colorful animation? Or, maybe it is because of their slim survival rate at birth?
This highly loved sea animals can be found in all ocean settings, except in the cooler polar regions. While most people will probably think of the animation turtles found in the Disney hit Finding Nemo, there are actually seven varieties of sea turtles. Some of these will travel from one ocean region to another while others make one in one specific location. Green, Loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, olive Ridley, Hawksbill, Flatback and the leatherback are the different species of sea turtles. Off the Northern Coast of Australia is where the flatback sea turtles call home and the Kemp’s ridley turtles remain along the Eastern Coast of the United State in the Gulf Of Mexico. Although some species of sea turtle may travel between oceans, they can be found in every ocean except for the polar regions preferring coral reefs and warmer waters over continental shelves.
This massive ocean animal can grow to be much larger that their land counterparts because of their large habit. For the first few years of their lives they tend to stay hidden amongst seaweed mats of Sargassum mats. Sea turtles are reptiles and they lay eggs just like any other turtle or reptile. One difference that sea turtles hold over any other reptile or other animal is that sea turtles can take decades to reach sexual maturity. The sex of a sea turtles will depend on the temperature the eggs are exposed to during incubation. If they reside in a warmer nest then most will hatch as females, colder nest will produce more males. What most people tend to learn first about sea turtles is how they make their daring adventure from their hidden sand nest to the great ocean waters. It is said that only about I out of every 1000 sea turtles that hatch will survive to full adulthood. But, it is not just the brave excursion they make from their nest to the ocean, although this is one of the more threatening part of the new lives, they encounter many obstacles in their first short years. Larger sea turtles have a higher chance of survival because they tend to be faster than smaller hatchlings, thus leaving them less exposed to their predators on the sands.
What is also fascinating about sea turtles is their ability to hold their breath for long periods of time. While they are air breathing reptiles they can hold their breath for 40 minutes while submerged underwater as the forage the ocean floors. Surprisingly they can hold their breath for hours while they sleep under water usually up to 7 hours.
There isn’t much known about the behavior of the sea turtle as they rarely return to shore once they hatch and reach the ocean. Scientists don’t even have an accurate number of the sea turtle population which I think is very intriguing. With all of the technology available to us, we still can’t keep track of one of the most incredible reptiles on Earth.
Scientists can’t even say how old sea turtles live, but they know it is over 100 years. We do know that sea turtles are one of the Earth’s most ancient creatures and that the seven species that can be found today have been around for 110 million years!
So you might be wondering what it is about sea turtles that make me smile. Although I have liked them since childhood, I have to admit that it was Finding Nemo that made me see sea turtles in a different light. Imagining them with a surfer voice and that laid back attitude is enough to make anyone smile.
Whether it is for their courageous run across the sand to the ocean or just because of the funny voice and big smile they often have in some of our favorite animated films, a sea turtle just leaves us feeling warm and fuzzy. Sea turtles are one of the rare creatures that just make you smile even just from the thought of them.
Have you ever seen a sea turtle in real life?
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