There are 7 types of sea turtles
... can you name them?
Leatherback
The leatherback is the largest turtle in the world, and can weigh over 1000 pounds! They are the only species of sea turtle that lack scales and a hard shell and are named for their tough rubbery skin. The leatherback is the only sea turtle that can survive in cold water. Their diet is mainly jellyfish.
Loggerhead
Loggerheads are the most abundant species of sea turtle found in U.S. Atlantic coastal waters. They can be as large as 300 pounds. Loggerhead turtles are carnivorous, and love to eat shellfish from the bottom of shallow coastal waters.
Loggerheads are the most common type we see on Oak Island and surrounding North Carolina beaches, but Green and Leatherback nests can occasionally be found.
Green
Green turtles live all over the world, nest in over 80 countries, and live in the coastal areas of more than 140 countries. They are the second largest sea turtles. Adults can weigh more than 400 pounds. Adult green turtles are mainly herbivores; they eat seagrasses and algae.
Kemp’s Ridley
Kemp’s ridley turtles are the smallest marine turtle in the world. The species is named after Richard M. Kemp, a fisherman from Key West, Florida, who first submitted the species for identification in 1906. Their preferred prey is crabs. Their nesting habits are very different. Thousands of female turtles come ashore at one time during the day. These nesting colonies are called arribadas, and are mainly found in Mexico.
Flatback
Flatback sea turtles occur only in the southern hemisphere in the Indian and southern Pacific oceans. They nest on the northern Australian beaches. Flatback turtles are omnivores, and will eat sea cucumbers, jellyfish, crabs and large shrimp called prawns. They also eat plants and like to graze on seagrasses. Info courtesy of oceana.org.
Hawksbill
The largest populations of hawksbills are found in the Caribbean, the Republic of Seychelles, Indonesia, and Australia, and can be found around coral reefs dining on sea sponges. As their name suggests, they have a mouth that is shaped like the beak of a hawk.
Olive Ridley
The olive ridley gets its name from the olive green color of its heart-shaped carapace (top shell). The species is among the smallest of the world’s sea turtles and is found primarily in the tropical regions of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans. They too form arribadas when nesting. They like to eat crabs, shrimp, very small lobsters, and jellyfish.