Turtle 101

Welcome to Turtle 101, your guide to all things Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae (sea turtle). And don't worry, there'll only be a little science thrown in for good measure and we will get it out of the way right up front. Sea turtles are cold-blooded reptiles in the same scientific class as snakes, lizards and crocodiles. Reptiles have scaly skin, breathe air with lungs and have a three-chambered heart.Most scientists recognize two families of sea turtles: Cheloniidae, which have rigid plates called scutes covering their shells, includes all sea turtles except leatherbacks. Leatherbacks are in the family Dermochelyidae. Leatherbacks are covered with leathery skin and are the only marine turtles whose backbone is not attached to the inside of the shell. Within these two families, most scientists recognize eight species of sea turtles.Common name: LoggerheadSpecies: Caretta carettaNesting areas: S.E. United States; Caribbean; Japan.Territories: Temperate and subtropical waters worldwide. Adults usually stay close to mainland shores. They prefer to feed in coastal bays and estuaries, as well as in the shallow water along the continental shelves of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Loggerheads inhabit an enormous range from north to south. In the Western Hemisphere, they are found as far north as Newfoundland and as far south as Argentina.Diet: Powerful jaw muscles help them easily crush shellfish such as horseshoe crabs, clams, mussels and other invertebrates.Size range: 30-41 inches weighing 145-225 lbs.Trend: Population probably declining; stable or increasing in Florida, but declining in Georgia, SC and NC; Indian Ocean populations unknown.Special threats: Longline fisheries in eastern Atlantic.Common name: HawksbillSpecies: Eretmochelys imbricataNesting areas: Yucatan peninsula; Caribbean;Indo-PacificTerritories: The most tropical of all sea turtles. They are typically found around coastal reefs, rocky areas of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.Diet: A narrow head and jaws shaped like a beak allow the hawksbill to get sponges, anemones, squid and shrimp from crevices in coral reefs.Trend: Population increasing in Yucatan, Mexico, but declining worldwide.Size range: 21-45 inches weighing 60-190 lbs.Special threats: Shell is used to produce illegal ?tortoise shell? eyeglass frames, combs and souvenirs.Common name: Green turtleSpecies: Chelonia mydasNesting areas: S.E. United States; Caribbean; Mexico; Central America; Hawaii; Indo-Pacific.Territories: All temperate and tropical waters, including Central America, Caribbean, U.S., Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific. They mainly stay near the coastline and around islands.Diet: As juveniles, they eat soft foods such as worms, young crustaceans, insects, grasses and algae. Adults are strictly herbivorous, eating mostly sea grass and algae, which they tear with finely serrated jaws.Size range: 31-48 inches weighing 150-400 lbs.Trend: Population increasing slightly. Increasing in U.S., declining elsewhere.Special threats: Legally hunted by native Moskito tribes in Nicaragua, which take an estimated 10,000 annually.Common name: Black turtle (also known as Eastern Pacific green turtle)Species: Chelonia agassiziiNesting areas: Pacific coasts of Mexico and Central America; Galopagos; Indo-PacificTerritories: Found along the west coasts of North, Central and South America, from central Baja California to Peru. They mostly live in bays and protected shores. Rarely are they observed in the open ocean.Diet: Same as Green turtle.Size range: 23-46 inches weighing 90-275 lbs.Trend: Specifics are unknown, but believed declining rapidly to an estimated one percent of historic populations.Common name: LeatherbackSpecies: Dermochelys coriaceaNesting areas: Costa Rica; Trinidad; Dominican Republic; St. Croix; Pacific coast of Mexico; North Atlantic coast of South America; Mid-Atlantic coast of Africa; Indonesia; MalaysiaTerritories: The most widely distributed of all sea turtles, found in the open ocean as far north as Alaska and as far south as the southern tip of Africa.Diet: Delicate, scissors-like jaws would be damaged by anything other than a diet of soft-bodied animals, primarily jellyfish.Size range: 48-72 inches weighing 440-1,100 lbs.Trend: Population declining worldwide; severe crash in Pacific but mild increase in Atlantic and Caribbean.Special threats: Susceptible to ingesting clear plastic and plastic bags, mistaking them for jellyfish. Eggs are highly prized. Longline, trawl and net fisheries.Common name: Kemp's ridleySpecies: Lepidochelys kempiiNesting areas: Eastern coasts of Mexico and Texas.Territories: Mostly limited to the Gulf of Mexico. Juveniles range between tropical and temperate coastal areas of the northwest Atlantic Ocean and can be found up and down the East Coast of the United States. They prefer shallow areas with sandy and muddy bottoms.Diet: Powerful jaws help them to crush and grind crabs, clams, mussels and shrimp. They also eat fish, sea urchins, squid and jellyfish.Size range: 22-30 inches weighing 65-110 lbs.Trend: Population increasing steadilyCommon name: Olive ridleySpecies: Lepidochelys olivaceaNesting areas: India; Baja; Pacific coast of Mexico; North Atlantic coast of South America.Territories: Live in tropical regions of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans.Diet: Powerful jaws help them to crush and grind crabs, clams, mussels and shrimp. They also eat fish, sea urchins, squid and jellyfish.Size range: 22-30 inches weighing 65-110 lbs.Trend: Population declining worldwide; increasing in Mexico but severely declining in Indo-Pacific.Special threats: Trawl and net fisheries in Indian OceanCommon name: FlatbackSpecies: Natator depressusNesting areas: Northern AustraliaTerritories: Limited to the coastal waters of the northwestern, northern and northeastern regions of Australia up to Papua New Guinea. Flatbacks do not venture beyond Australia?s continental shelf; they prefer turbid inshore waters and bays.Diet: Eats sea cucumbers, jellyfish, mollusks, prawns, bryozoans and other invertebrates, as well as seaweed.Size range: 32-38 inches weighing 130-185 lbs.Trend: UnknownSpecial threats: Potential loss of very limited breeding grounds due to development. For more information about turtles, other unique creatures and diving in Costa Rica, click on the home page below. For general information about visiting Costa Rica, click on the home page below.