Marine Biology: Marine Turtles

What is the sea turtle phylum, class, and order?

Phylum: Chordata. Class: Reptilia. Order: Testudine

Why can sea turtles deep dive for food?

Because of their ability to hold their breath for long periods of time (4-7 hours while resting)

Can sea turtles retract their head and limbs into shells?

No

Why do sea turtles have streamlined movement?

Because of their streamlined shell and flippers

What is the shell structure of the sea turtles?

Their top shell is made of carapace while the bottom of their shell is made of plastron

What are the two different layers of the carapace?

-Flattened bone plates that grow between and fuse with ribs

-Keratin scales (scutes) that serve as protection and prevention of water loss

How does the second layer of the carapace (scutes) differ in leatherbacks?

They have no scutes but have waxy-leathery skin which covers a fatty layer filled with oil and small bone plates to provide carapace strength

How do sea turtles adapt to the high salt environment/diet?

They have glands by their eyes which release salt in high concentrations

What are the 6 major species of sea turtles?

Green turtle, Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Olive Ridley, Kemps Ridley and Flaback (Cheloniidae) and leatherback (dermatochelydia)

How many of the 6 species nest on florida beaches?

Only 3

When is the sea turtle nesting season?

From May to October

Does 90% of all sea turtle nesting occur in florida?

Yes

What is a nest crawl?

A way to identify where a turtle nest has been laid, sometimes there are also false crawls. They are covered to keep predators out during the 50-60 day incubation period

Which species of sea turtle is not carnivorous?

Green turtles. They are seaweeds and seagrass

Which species eat bottom dwelling invertebrates?

Kemps ridley and loggerheads

Which species consume jellyfish from the water column?

Leatherbacks

Which species feed on sponges?

Hawksbills

How do sea turtles migrate?

Juveniles move to coastal waters or estuaries to feed until they reach sexual maturity. Long distance migration, and they repeat homing on the same beach they hatched

Do female sea turtles lay 100 eggs each time, many times during the breeding season?

Yes

Why do sea turtles nest at night?

Helps them to avoid predation and minimizes overheating of eggs

What are the three signals that guide hatchling movement?

1. orientation towards the horizon

2. movement opposite to the direction of the arriving waves

3. orientation to the earths magnetic field which provides info on geographic location and migration direction