*Fascinating Fish Fact*

Sadly, all seven species of sea turtles are listed under the Endangered Species Act. Threats to sea turtles today include the harvesting of their eggs for human consumption, entanglement and entrapment in fishing gear, ingestion of litter and coastal development.

Turtles are well adapted to the ocean though they need air to survive. Their size varies greatly, depending upon the species — from the small Kemp’s ridley, which weighs between 80–100 pounds, to the enormous leatherback, which can weigh more than 1,000 pounds!!

Sea turtles live in almost every ocean throughout the world, nesting on tropical and subtropical beaches. They migrate long distances to feed, often crossing entire oceans. Some loggerheads nest in Japan and then migrate to Baja California Sur, Mexico to forage before returning home again. Leatherbacks are capable of withstanding the coldest water temperatures (often below 40˚F) and are found as far south as Chile and as far north as Alaska.

They spend their entire lives at sea, except when adult females come ashore to lay eggs several times per season every 2 to 5 years. After about sixty days, baby sea turtles emerge from their sandy nests and make their way to the ocean —attracted to the distant horizon. The hatchlings will spend their first few years in the open oceans, eventually moving to protected bays, estuaries, and other nearshore waters.

Each species relies on a different diet: greens eat sea grasses; leatherbacks feed on jellyfish and soft-bodied animals; loggerheads eat heavy-shelled animals such as crabs and clams; hawksbills rely on sponges and other invertebrates; and the Kemp’s ridley prefers crabs.

These ancient creatures have been on the Earth for more than 100 million years — even surviving the dinosaurs when they became extinct 65 million years ago. Among the biggest threats these marine reptiles face are entanglement, habitat loss, and consumption of their eggs and meat.

* Unlike other turtles, sea turtles cannot retract their legs and head into their shells.

* Shells have nerves embedded in them and a blood supply as well, so if a turtle's shell is injured, it may bleed and feel pain.

* They make sounds even though they lack vocal chords - turtles can make sounds by swallowing or by forcing air out of their lungs.

* Research shows that turtles not only can perceive colors, but that certain colors - red, orange and yellow - seem to be the most appealing to them. When they see an object in one of those shades, they display "investigative behavior," which suggests that they're checking it out to see if they want to eat it.

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