Leatherback Sea Turtle
Dermochelys coriacea
VulnerableSize
Up to 7 ft
Weight
Up to 2,000 lbs
Diet
Jellyfish almost only
Lifespan
Up to 45+ years
Fun Facts
- The LARGEST sea turtle and the largest reptile on Earth
- Instead of a hard shell it has a rubbery leathery back โ hence the name
- Can dive deeper than 4,000 feet โ deeper than most submarines
- Travels further than any other reptile โ up to 10,000 miles in a migration
- Eats jellyfish exclusively and helps control jellyfish populations in the ocean
- Has backward-pointing spines in its throat so jellyfish cannot escape once swallowed
Green Sea Turtle
Chelonia mydas
EndangeredSize
Up to 4 ft
Weight
Up to 700 lbs
Diet
Seagrass, algae
Lifespan
Up to 80 years
Fun Facts
- Named not for its shell colour but for the GREEN fat under its skin from eating plants
- The only sea turtle that is mostly vegetarian as an adult
- Returns to the exact same beach where it was born to lay its own eggs โ decades later
- Can hold its breath for up to 7 hours while sleeping underwater
- Their shell is called a carapace and has around 5 central scales
Hawksbill Sea Turtle
Eretmochelys imbricata
Critically EndangeredSize
Up to 3 ft
Weight
Up to 180 lbs
Diet
Sea sponges mainly
Habitat
Tropical coral reefs
Fun Facts
- Named for its narrow pointed beak that looks like a hawk's bill
- The only turtle that eats sea sponges โ which are toxic to almost everything else
- Its beautiful shell was used to make jewellery and combs โ which almost caused extinction
- Plays a critical role in maintaining healthy coral reefs
- Can glow in the dark โ the first biofluorescent reptile ever discovered
Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Caretta caretta
VulnerableSize
Up to 3.5 ft
Weight
Up to 400 lbs
Diet
Crabs, clams, jellyfish
Lifespan
Up to 67+ years
Fun Facts
- Named for its very large head and powerful jaw muscles
- Its strong jaws can crush hard-shelled prey like conch and horseshoe crabs
- Carries its own mini ecosystem โ up to 100 species of animals live on its shell
- Makes one of the longest migrations of any sea turtle โ from Japan to Baja California
- Hatchlings use the Earth's magnetic field like a GPS to navigate the ocean
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle
Lepidochelys kempii
Critically EndangeredSize
Up to 2.5 ft
Weight
Up to 100 lbs
Diet
Crabs, fish, jellyfish
Habitat
Gulf of Mexico
Fun Facts
- The SMALLEST and RAREST sea turtle in the world
- All females nest on the same beach at the same time โ called an arribada (Spanish for arrival)
- Almost exclusively nests on one single beach in Mexico โ Rancho Nuevo
- Was on the verge of extinction with only 300 nesting females in the 1980s โ now recovering slowly
- The most endangered sea turtle on Earth
Olive Ridley Sea Turtle
Lepidochelys olivacea
VulnerableSize
Up to 2.5 ft
Weight
Up to 110 lbs
Diet
Algae, fish, crabs, shrimp
Habitat
Tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans
Fun Facts
- Named for its olive-green coloured shell
- The most abundant sea turtle in the world despite being vulnerable
- Also nests in massive arribadas โ one nesting event had 500,000 turtles on one beach
- Can eat both plants and animals โ very adaptable
- Hatchlings are completely dark black when they emerge from the sand
Flatback Sea Turtle
Natator depressus
VulnerableSize
Up to 3.5 ft
Weight
Up to 200 lbs
Diet
Sea cucumbers, jellyfish, mollusks
Habitat
Australia ONLY
Fun Facts
- Found ONLY in Australian waters โ the most restricted range of any sea turtle
- Named for its noticeably flat low shell compared to other sea turtles
- Lays the fewest eggs of any sea turtle but the eggs are the largest
- Unlike other sea turtles it never ventures into the open deep ocean
- The least studied sea turtle because it stays so close to Australia