This week, June 16th, was World Sea Turtle Day . Since we, too, have been supporting a sea turtle conservation project with our Turtle Edition for some time now, dedicated to the protection and rescue of sea turtles, we would like to dedicate this week's blog post to the small and large armored creatures of the world's oceans.
Why are many sea turtles threatened with extinction? The reasons for this are the increasing pollution of our oceans, climate change , and even humans. Therefore, there can hardly be enough turtle conservation projects.
Sea turtles, which belong to the reptile family, often resemble dinosaurs. It's amazing that they actually existed back then, isn't it? They've been part of our planet for millions of years, and we don't want that to change.
1. Have you ever wondered how sea turtles grind their food ? Do they actually have teeth ? The answer is no! Their upper and lower jaws contain a kind of keratin covering that acts like false teeth and is hard enough to grind their food.
2. Sea turtles without shells? Unfortunately, this isn't uncommon, albeit barbaric, as in many places, the shells are used to make souvenirs , which tourists then proudly bring home. The valuable shells are made up of 50 fused bones and provide the turtle with the protection and stability that we humans carry within our bodies through our skeletons.
3. The first years of a sea turtle's life are often referred to as the lost years. This is because the period between hatching and the return to shallow coastal waters to feed is incredibly difficult to study . The lost years they spend at sea—which can last up to 20 years —remain a mystery to humans.
4. What types of sea turtles are there? We can tell you there are many fascinating ones. They vary in both color and size . The smallest, the Kemp's Ridley , for example , is about 70 cm long and weighs up to 40 kg , while the leatherback turtle can grow up to 180 cm long and weigh 500 kg . Smaller turtle species live for 30-40 years , but there are also species that can live up to 256 years . Almost unbelievable for us humans.
5. According to the WWF, it's estimated that only one in a thousand baby sea turtles reaches adulthood. If beaches are also littered with trash, this can prevent the young from reaching the ocean right at the beginning of their lives. This is precisely why we, together with the Turtle Foundation, are protecting the breeding grounds and doing our best to increase this rate!
There are seven species of sea turtles
6. Did you know that turtles can drown? They need to rise to the surface to breathe. Afterward, they can stay underwater for up to 40 minutes while awake , and even four to seven hours while asleep . If you encounter a sea turtle in the ocean, avoid swimming directly over it , paddling wildly, or even touching it. If they 're frightened, they won't dare to surface and could drown !
7. Sea turtles swim incredible distances! A team of researchers accompanied a hawksbill turtle that traveled a distance of 35,000 kilometers in two years , from Australia to South Africa.
8. The sea turtle - a crybaby? Sea turtles cry , constantly. Not for emotional reasons, of course, but for the simple reason that they have to excrete the sea salt they absorb through the seawater through glands in their eyes. So, there's no reason to be sad.
9. The sea turtle is a very talented diver . Some species, such as the leatherback turtle, can dive to depths of up to 1,000 meters .
10. Female sea turtles return to the same beach where they hatched to nest . Sea turtles' amazing navigational ability is based on their sensitivity to the Earth's magnetic fields.
3 reasons why sea turtles are important to our ecosystem and should be protected:
- Carnivorous sea turtles are important scavengers and pest controllers . The smell would definitely be different without them, as they also eat smaller dead marine animals and are thus part of the ocean's natural garbage disposal system . In general, sea turtles feed mainly on cephalopods, crabs, sponges, and jellyfish. However, there are also species, such as the green sea turtle, that are pure vegetarians . They make an important contribution by spreading plant seeds .
- Sea turtles also act as gardeners of the oceans . They keep the stems of seagrass meadows short and dense, which benefits other marine animals that lay and raise their young there.
- They also transfer energy from one ecosystem to another . Eggs often remain in the nests, but they don't hatch, which is entirely natural. These eggs then provide important nutrients for the flora and fauna.
What we were able to achieve thanks to you:
After a recent discussion with our partner, the Turtle Foundation, we can celebrate the following successes with our Turtle Project:
- 458 Green Sea Turtle Nests (in the Borneo project as a whole, i.e. on both islands together) were successfully protected
- On average there were 80 eggs per nest from which baby turtles hatched (more eggs are laid, but there are always a few “stillbirths”, hatching success rate about 80%)
- Overall, around 36,640 hatchlings thanks to the conservation work of the rangers (until June 2021)
* The Turtle Foundation owns the copyright to this image. It shows the rangers at work.
Want to do even more? Then check out our site at the Turtle Edition and order your favorite product. Alternatively, you can also sponsorship for one or more turtle eggs or even give them away!
With your sponsorship, you'll receive a certificate and regular updates on the project! We appreciate any support and thank you for taking the time to read our blog post this week.
