25+ Fun Facts About Sea Turtle For Kids

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Children love going to the beach and learning about fascinating marine animals. So, we are here to discuss some amazing and fun sea turtle facts for kids. Were you aware that sea turtles are one of the most ancient creatures on earth? They have been a part of this planet for more than 100 million years. Therefore, we bring you a list of interesting things to learn about these intriguing creatures. As they mostly live underwater and hardly come onshore, there’s not much information about them. They are cold-blooded creatures with scales on their skin and three-chambered hearts, thus considered reptiles.

These fun facts about sea turtles are fascinating and will educate your children about their feeding habits, whether they are friendly or not, and their evolution. So, if your child is interested in sea turtles, our list of facts can help quench their curiosity. You can even quiz them on these facts.

Sea Turtle Information For Kids

1. What are sea turtles?

Image: IStock

Sea turtles, also known as marine turtles, have been on planet Earth since the late Jurassic era. All sea turtle species, except the leatherback, belong to the Cheloniidae family. The leatherback belongs to the DermochelyidaeⁱA family of turtles having the largest living sea turtles family and is its only type that is still in existence. Unlike other turtles, the sea turtle cannot draw up its legs and head into its protective shell or the carapace.

2. How to identify a sea turtle?

The sea turtle’s major difference from other turtles is its shell. Sea turtles have big shells that are made of bone and cartilage. Their color varies from species to species. Shells of all sea turtles, except the leatherback, have a layer of thin plates called scutes covering it. Scutes are flexible but firm. The species of sea turtles is mainly identified by the number and pattern of scutes. However, the leatherback’s shell has a leathery skin instead of scutes covering its shell. It acts as an insulator and enables the leatherback to easily survive in cold waters. The lower side of the turtle, the ventral, of the shell is known as the plastron.

3. How To Determine The Sex Of A Sea Turtle?

When younger, sea turtles appear the same externally irrespective of their gender. As the turtles grow older, the males show longer and thicker tails as compared to their female counterparts. The tail of the males tends to extend further than the hind flippers. This is because the male’s reproductive organ is situated at the base of its tail.

4. Where Do Sea Turtles Live?

Sea turtles live in warm and temperate seas around the globe. They spend more time in the water than land. They come on land mostly to lay eggs. Adult sea turtles are generally spotted in coastal waters, bays, lagoonsⁱShallow water bodies separated from the larger ones by landforms such as islands or coral reefs , estuariesⁱPartially enclosed water bodies where rivers meet the sea and even the open sea whereas the younger turtles live around bays, estuaries, and the sea.

5. What Is The Lifespan Of Sea Turtles?

Since sea turtles live in deep waters it is difficult to ascertain much about them. However, scientists believe that sea turtles outlive humans and can live more than 150 years.

Did you know?

Female sea turtles nest until they become 80 years old (11)

6. What Do Sea Turtles Eat?

Image: IStock

The food habits of sea turtles depend on the species of sea turtles. Some species are carnivores, eating other animals, while some sea turtles are herbivores eating only plants. Some turtles are omnivores i.e. they consume both plants and meat.

7. How do sea turtles breathe?

Sea turtles, being air-breathing reptiles with lungs, regularly come to the surface for breathing. During this process, a sea turtle efficiently refills its lungs through a swift, explosive exhalation followed by rapid inhalation. The large size of their lungs facilitates swift oxygen exchange, avoiding the trapping of gases during deep dives.

8. How long can sea turtles stay underwater?

While active, sea turtles need to swim to the ocean surface every few minutes for breathing (1). Although unable to breathe underwater, they showcase the remarkable ability to hold their breath for long periods—ranging between four to seven hours during rest. In this breath-holding state, their heart rate significantly slows down to conserve oxygen, with up to nine minutes passing between heartbeats. This adaptation allows sea turtles to stay submerged for prolonged durations (2).

9. What Are The Different Species Of Sea Turtles?

Green sea turtle, Leatherback sea turtle, Loggerhead sea turtle, Hawksbill sea turtle, Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle, Olive Ridley sea turtle, and the Flatback sea turtle are the types of sea turtles still in existence.

10. Facts and information about green sea turtle

• Description: Chelonia mydas is named as Green Sea Turtle because the fat under its shell is green in color. The green turtle is about 5 ½ feet long and weighs up to 700 pounds. It has a single pair of scales before its eyes and has a small head. The top of its shell is red and orange. Scientists believe that the color on its shell changes through its lifetime.

• Diet: The newborn generally eats other sea animals like worms and insects. As they grow older, around the age of 3 years, they turn vegetarians and stop consuming meat thereafter. They mostly eat algae and seagrass

• Reproduction: Green sea turtles mate every two to four years. Male turtles return to their birth location for mating. On the other hand, female turtles have multiple breeding grounds and may not always mate in the same place. These turtles mate in shallow waters close to the shore. Female turtles lay up to 100 to 200 eggs.

• Habitat: Green sea turtles are mostly found in temperate and tropical waters. They only venture around coastlines and islands. They prefer regions having plenty of seagrass beds (3).

Quick fact

The largest nesting population of Green Sea Turtles is found in Costa Rica and Australia (12).

11. Facts And Information About Leatherback Sea Turtle

• Description: Dermochelys coriacea, commonly known as the leatherback sea turtle, is the largest sea turtle and is the world’s fourth largest reptile. It is the only sea turtle that does not have a hard shell. It is around 7 feet long and weighs more than 2,000 pounds. The ridges along their carapaceⁱThe protective shell on the back of some animals and the streamlined body shape enable it to smoothly move in water and easily cover large distances. Its carapace is dark gray or black in color with white or pale spots.

• Diet: Leatherback is carnivores but its jaw is not strong enough to chew on hard-bodied prey. They mostly survive on soft-bodied animals like jellyfish and salps.

• Reproduction: Leatherback sea turtles mate in water between the age of 8 and 15 years. They mate according to seasons. The female leatherback sea turtle lays up to 80 fertilized eggs and 30 unfertilized eggs in each nest. Female leatherback turtles may not necessarily create a nest in the same beach.

• Habitat: They live in the open ocean and are found in the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea. They are the only species that can easily survive under water below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4).

12. Facts And Information About Loggerhead Sea Turtle

Image: Shutterstock

• Description: Loggerhead sea turtle is named so because its head is larger than any other sea turtle. Its scientific name is Caretta caretta. It has a big head with heavy strong jaws. Its carapace is almost heart shaped and is reddish-brown in color. Meanwhile, its plastron is yellowish-brown. An adult loggerhead is grown up to 3 feet and weighs around 250 pounds.

• Diet: Loggerheads have strong jaws and relish eating fishes with hard shells. They mostly eat horseshoe crabs, jellyfish, clams, conchs, and mussels. Occasionally they also have seaweed and sargassum.

• Reproduction: Loggerhead sea turtle mates only after it turns 33 years. Male and female turtles migrate to breeding grounds and the female turtles decide their mating partner. The females can reproduce multiple times in one mating season. The female turtle lays around 100 to 126 eggs in each nest that takes about 2 months to hatch. Therefore, it is said that migration plays a major role in the reproduction of turtles.

• Habitat: They prefer living along beaches with grainy sand. However, they are also found along the continental shelves of the major oceans Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian (5).

13. Facts and information about hawksbill sea turtle

• Description: Hawksbill sea turtle has a small narrow head and hawk-like beak, hence the name. It is scientifically known asEretmochelys imbricata. It is around 45 inches in length and 150 pounds in weight. It is born with a heart-shaped upper shell that elongates as it grows older. Its carapace is orange, brown or yellow in color. They have 2 pairs of scales on the front of their bodies and tiny claws on their front flippers.

Quick fact

The beautiful Hawksbill shell is hard and protects the turtles from predators.

• Diet: Hawksbills are found mostly among healthy coral reef communities and eat a lot of sponges. Its beak shaped jaws enables it to eat food from crevices in coral reefs. It also consumes mollusks, marine algae, anemones, sea urchins, squid, jellyfish, and shrimp.

• Reproduction: They mate every two to three years and prefer mating in shallow waters close to beaches. The females lay about 100 to 150 eggs in a nest that takes around 60 days to hatch.

• Habitat: Hawksbill Sea Turtles are mostly found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. They avoid venturing into deep waters and mainly move around rocky areas. Their place for settlement is areas having plenty of sponges with nesting sites at a close distance. Coral reef areas are mostly populated with Hawksbill sea turtles (6).

14. Facts And Information About Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle:

• Description: Kemp’s Ridley Turtle derives its name from a fisherman named Richard Kemp, who discovered this turtle. Its scientific name is Lepidochelys kempii. They are one of the smallest sea turtles weighing barely 100 pounds with a length of around 2 feet. They are the most endangered species of sea turtles. Their carapace is wide and round and is generally olive-gray in color. Its plastron is white to yellowish.

• Diet: They are omnivores thriving on clams, jellyfish, mussels, shrimps, shellfish, fish, sea urchins, squid seaweed, and sargassum. However, they enjoy eating crabs the most which is a reason why they prefer shallow waters.

• Reproduction: Kemp’s Ridley Turtle mate mostly in waters after maturing between the ages of 10 to 20 years. Female turtles lay about 100 eggs in each nest that hatch after 60 days. They are the only sea turtles that lay eggs during the day. Kemp’s ridley sea turtles lay eggs in large groups. They lay their nests along the coast of the state of Tamaulipas, on the Gulf coast of Mexico.

• Habitat: They are mostly found in the coastal waters and bays of the Gulf of Mexico and the northern Atlantic Ocean. They mostly prefer shallow areas having sandy and muddy bottoms (7).

15. Facts And Information About Olive Ridley Sea Turtle:

Image: Shutterstock

• Description: Lepidochelys olivacea is commonly known as the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle. Its skin and carapace is slightly green in color which is why it is named Olive Ridley. Theyounger ones are charcoal gray in color. Olive Ridley is the smallest marine turtle weighing up to 100 pounds with a length of only 2 feet. Its head is slightly smaller than that of Kemp’s Ridley.

• Diet: It is omnivorous with a strong jaw and feeds on jellyfish, snails, lobster, mollusks, tunicates, fish, crabs, and shrimp. It also indulges in algae and seaweed.

• Reproduction: Olive Ridley matures at the age of 15 years. The females reproduce once or even twice a year. They lay around 100 eggs in a nest that hatches after around 50 to 60 days later.

• Habitat: Olive Ridley sea turtles love the open ocean. They are mostly found in the Pacific Ocean. Their population majorly settles around beaches in Mexico, coastal regions of South America and West Africa and parts of Southern California and Northern Chile (8).

16. Facts And Information About Flatback Sea Turtle:

• Description: Flatback Sea Turtle, scientifically known as Natator depressus, has a shell that appears flat on the top. Its flat back enables it to move smoothly in water. Its carapace is oval or round with upturned edges and olive to dark green in color. Its plastron is a lighter shade of pale yellow. Its head is relatively small with a long pointed tip. The scutes of the hatchlings have a dark-grey reticulate pattern. The scute is olive colored in the middle. A fully grown Flatback sea turtle measures up to 3.3 feet in length and weighs around 198 pounds. The female turtles are generally larger than their male counterparts.

• Diet: The flatback sea turtle is omnivorous and eats sea cucumbers, mollusks, jellyfish, prawns, bryozoans, soft corals, seagrasses, and seaweed. Their choice of invertebrates varies by location.

• Reproduction: Flatback Sea Turtle matures anywhere between 7 to 50 years of age. They can nest up to 4 times a season. The female turtle lays up to 50 eggs in a nest. Their eggs are double the size of other turtles. The nesting season starts from October and stretches till February. The female turtles opt for sandy beaches in tropical and subtropical areas for nesting the eggs. The flatback has very limited distribution and can nest and breed only in Australia.

• Habitat: Flatbacks do not travel over a large area like other turtles and are only found in Indonesia, Australia, and New Guinea. They prefer grassy shorelines with coastal reef areas being their most ideal habitat.

17. Why Are Sea Turtles Vital To The Ecosystem?

• Seagrass is a breeding and feeding ground for several marine animals. Maintaining seagrass is important because they are a means to sustain life under water. Sea turtles maintain the seabed by eating seagrass They stop sea grass from overgrowing or getting longer blades.

• Dune vegetation is essential to maintain sand around beaches. The egg shells of sea turtles have nutrients that boost dune vegetation which majorly improves the quality of sand. Dune vegetation helps to hold the sand and protects the beach from erosion.

• Leatherback mainly eats jellyfish that thrive on fish larvae. The decline in leatherback population has led to an increase in jellyfish which is a major reason for the decline in fish.

• Sea turtles help to maintain the balance in the marine and sand system. If these reptiles go extinct these two ecosystemsⁱA system where the living organisms and their physical environments interact with each other will be heavily affected directly impacting human life. That is why sea turtle conservation is important.

Image: IStock

18. Why Are They Endangered?

Sea turtles may be the longest surviving creature on planet Earth but recently its survival has been threatened to the extent that it has been listed as an endangered species. The causes for the decline in their population are as follows:

• Fishing Gear: Hundreds of sea turtles accidentally get caught in fishing nets and longlines yearly. They are either killed or injured in these fishing operations. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service (NMFS) has taken several serious measures to protect threatened sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico.

• Artificial Lights: Female sea turtles prefer quiet and dark beaches to nest their eggs. However, the increasing human population around coastlines has led to a rise in artificial lighting, which discourages females from entering well-lit areas of the beach. They instead opt for isolated regions of the beach which are not ideal for nesting of eggs. Moreover, brightly lit areas confuse hatchlings and they are unable to reach the water which can get them hunted down by predators.

• Natural Predators: The eggs laid by female sea turtles face a threat from predators such as crabs, raccoons, and boars. It is important that these eggs are protected from such predators. Hatchlings further have to dodge threats of birds, coyotes, and sharks to survive. Furthermore, female turtles have been attacked by dogs when they come on land to lay eggs. However, the increasing human population around coastlines has led to a rise in artificial lightning which discourages females from entering well-lit beach areas. they are unable to move swiftly and defend themselves on land.

• Water Pollution: Large-scale pollution and incidents of oil spills in water bodies have had a negative impact on the natural habitat of sea turtles. Contamination of seas and oceans not only kills aquatic animals but also poison the plants that grow underwater.

• Global Warming: The increasing temperatures across the globe have not spared sea turtles. The rise in sea level affects turtles too. Sea turtles have a sharp memory. Once they lay their eggs in a particular spot on a beach they return to the same place years later to hatch their eggs. Loss of coastline leaves no place for sea turtles to create a nest for their eggs. Also, the temperature of the sand plays an important part in influencing the gender of the turtle. Generally, the eggs laid in the lower, cooler, part of the nest turn males on hatching, hatchling from the upper, warmer, part of the nest become females. If the temperature continues to rise, the male population will decline, leading to a catastrophic imbalance in genetic diversity.

19. What can you do to protect and preserve sea turtles?

Initiatives such as reducing plastic pollution, protecting the nesting sites, and regulating fishing practices to prevent bycatch are vital for protecting these ancient creatures and their habitats. Here are some steps you could take.

• Maintain cleanliness at beaches and do not litter.

• If you happen to spot a turtle at a beach, do not go too close to it. You might scare it.

• Contribute and participate in restoration events that restore sea turtle nesting beaches.

• Avoid having campfires at beaches as sea turtles are easily attracted to fire and they die in these fires.

• Spread awareness amongst your family and friends about the dwindling numbers of sea turtles. Help garner signatures for petitions that ask the government to take action for the preservation of sea turtles.

• Do not leave chairs, umbrellas, and boats at the beach at night. These things confuse turtles and deviate their tracks from the place of nesting. They also obstruct hatchlings from entering the sea.

• When buying fish, ensure that the fish has been caught by responsible fisheries who use turtle-friendly methods to capture fish.

Fun Sea Turtle Facts For Kids

18. Male sea turtles spend their entire lives underwater. Female sea turtles come to land only to lay eggs. Since male species do not have to do anything with eggs, they do not leave the ocean.

19. Sea turtles cry. Sea turtles have eye glands that enable them to get rid of any excess salt in their eyes. When doing so it looks like they are crying.

20. Sea Turtle eggs are round in shape. Female sea turtles lay about 150 eggs at a time and these eggs resemble tiny balls because of their round shape.

21. Sea turtles love to travel. Sea turtles enjoy traveling around and can track over 10,000 miles every year.

22. Sea turtles have stronger muscles than humans.

23. Sea turtles can hold their breath for more than 30 minutes.

24. The leatherback sea turtles can reach as deep as 1000 feet deep in the ocean.

25. The largest sea turtle ever discovered weighed around 2,020 pounds with a length of 9.8 feet.
26. Sea turtles can migrate thousands of miles over their lifetime, often returning to the same beach where they were born to lay their eggs.

We hope you and your child enjoyed reading these facts and information about sea turtles.

Wonderful creatures, aren’t they? Sea turtles have so many varieties and are so different from one another. Now let’s see what kind of a champ you are at remembering the facts.

1. Mark off the incorrect fact about the Leatherback Sea Turtle.

• It is the world’s fifth largest reptile.
• It eats soft-bodied animals such as jellyfish.
• It lives in open oceans.

2. Which is not a way of identifying a sea turtle?

• Presence of scutes
• Presence of spots
• Presence of big shells

3. Mark off the incorrect importance of sea turtles to the ecosystem.

• Sea turtles maintain seabed by eating seagrass.
  
• Egg shells of sea turtles do not have any nutrients.
  
• Sea turtles help in maintaining the balance in the marine and sand system.
  

Egg shells of sea turtles do not have any nutrients. Sea turtles help in maintaining the balance in the marine and sand system.

Infographic: Fun Sea Turtle Facts For Children

The sea or ocean is not more than what meets the eye. It inhabits different species of plants and animals, including the sea turtle. If your little one is enthusiastic about learning new facts about this creature, we suggest you share the following infographic with them. You can either write it on a page or take a printout of it and hang it on the board.

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Illustration: Fun Facts About Sea Turtle For Kids

Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team

Discover fascinating turtle facts! Dive into this video to explore more about these incredible creatures!

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Elisa YiEarly childhood educator

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Harshita is a graduate in commerce and holds a PG Diploma in Patent and Copyrights Law from NALSAR University. She has also pursued CA and has more than three years of internship experience in auditing. Her love for travelling has taken her to various parts of the world, and writing the travelogues was what brought out her love for content writing.

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Praggya Joshi holds a bachelor's degree in Education and a master's in Ancient Indian History from University of Delhi. She has a robust knowledge of literature, society, and ethics. Praggya has been a content writer since 2021, researching and writing on education, health and wellness, and travel.

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