2020-21 Fall/Winter Information. Team Information. Name: Nevada Sponsor: Florida Leatherbacks, Inc. Cause: Commerical Longline Fishing. Turtles Combination Platters Menu. Turtles Cocktail Menu. Turtles on Little Sarasota Bay 8875 Midnight Pass Rd Sarasota, FL 34242. Phone (941) 346-2207. Turtles need a minimum 30-gallon size aquarium with a screened top. Their habitat should include mostly water, plus a bit of land for basking. Turtles eat a combination of vegetables, turtle food and, depending on the species, insects.
Turtles are aquatic or terrestrial reptiles that have horny toothless jaws and a bony or leathery shell into which the head, limbs, and tail can be withdrawn in most species. They have dry scaly skin and enjoy basking in the sun. All species of turtles lay eggs.
Sea Turtles - Family Cheloniidae
Loggerhead Sea Turtle(threatened) | Green Sea Turtle (endangered) | Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle(endangered) |
Snapping Turtles - Family Chelydridae Outdoor Alabama Magazine Article
Common Snapping Turtle | Alligator Snapping Turtle |
Leatherback Sea Turtles - Family Dermochelyidae
Atlantic Leatherback (endangered) |
Emydid Turtles - Family Emydidae
Eastern Painted Turtle | Eastern Chicken Turtle | |
Barbour's Map Turtle | Escambia Map Turtle | Northern Map Turtle |
Black-knobbed Sawback | Ouachita Map Turtle | Alabama Map Turtle |
Mississippi Diamondback Terrapin | Alabama Red-bellied Turtle(endangered) | River Cooter |
Florida Cooter | Eastern Box Turtle | Pond Slider |
Mud and Musk Turtles - Family Kinosternidae
Striped Mud Turtle | Eastern Mud Turtle | Razor-backed Musk Turtle |
Flattened Musk Turtle (threatened) | Loggerhead Musk Turtle | Eastern Musk Turtle (Stinkpot) |
Striped-necked Musk Turtle |
Tortoises - Family Testudinidae
Gopher Tortoise (western population threatened) |
Softshell Turtles - Family Trionychidae
Florida Softshell | Midland Smooth Softshell |
Eastern Spiny Softshell | Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell |
Turtles are protected by regulation and by law. These regulations include, but are not limited to:
'No person shall take, attempt to take, sell or possess any turtle egg or turtle or parts thereof from the wild in this state, to include public and private waters, for commercial purposes. This is not to prohibit the operations of properly permitted 'Turtle Farmers' or 'Turtle Dealers' as defined in Rule 220-2-.142.'
'This is not to prohibit the removal of turtles from a privately constructed farm pond by the landowner or his agent while controlling nuisance animals as long as the turtles are not sold or traded for anything of value.'
'Nothing in this regulation prohibits the taking for personal use of up to two legal turtles per day by hand, dip net or hook and line however, no person shall take more than two turtles per day from the wild in this state, to include public and private waters.'
'No person, firm or corporation shall import or cause to be imported, any nonindigenous turtle species for the purpose of propagation.'
From leatherbacks to loggerheads, six of the seven species of sea turtles are threatened or endangered at the hand of humans. Sadly, the fact is that they face many dangers as they travel the seas — including accidental capture and entanglement in fishing gear (also known as bycatch), the loss of nesting and feeding sites to coastal development, poaching, and ocean pollution including plastic.
These creatures are well-adapted to the ocean though they require air to survive. Their size varies greatly, depending upon 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.
5 facts About Sea Turtles
All seven species are considered threatened or endangered. Two are critically endangered (hawksbill and Kemp's ridley), one is endangered (green and and three are threatened (leatherback, olive ridley, and loggerhead). Flatbacks are listed as data deficient on the IUCN Red List but are listed as endangered in Australia.
It is estimated that only one out of 1,000 hatchlings survives to be an adult. They have many natural predators including birds, crabs, fish, and mammals like racoons. But the female adults can lay thousands of eggs over their lifetimes, so at least a few of them survive to maintain the species.
The sex of sea turtles, like other reptiles, depends on the temperature in the nest. That temperature is generally around 82 degrees F (29 degrees C) though that can vary by species and location.
Sea turtles don't have a favorite food (though most will eat jellyfish.) Each species focuses on different prey for food; the leatherback eats mostly jellyfish, greens primarily eat seagrass, loggerheads prefer crustaceans, and hawksbills eat primarily sea sponges.
Some sea turtles migrate very long distances while others stay close to home. Leatherbacks and loggerheads can travel thousands of miles each year, while greens and olive ridleys have shorter migrations, while hawksbills rarely leave a relatively small area.
Habitat & Diet
Sea turtles live in almost every ocean basin 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 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.
These reptiles 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 (known as 'hatchlings') emerge from their sandy nests and make their way to the ocean —attracted to the distant horizon. The juvenile turtles spend their first few years in the open oceans, eventually moving to protected bays, estuaries, and other nearshore waters as adults.
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. Learn more about their diets.
Florida Softshell | Midland Smooth Softshell |
Eastern Spiny Softshell | Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell |
Turtles are protected by regulation and by law. These regulations include, but are not limited to:
'No person shall take, attempt to take, sell or possess any turtle egg or turtle or parts thereof from the wild in this state, to include public and private waters, for commercial purposes. This is not to prohibit the operations of properly permitted 'Turtle Farmers' or 'Turtle Dealers' as defined in Rule 220-2-.142.'
'This is not to prohibit the removal of turtles from a privately constructed farm pond by the landowner or his agent while controlling nuisance animals as long as the turtles are not sold or traded for anything of value.'
'Nothing in this regulation prohibits the taking for personal use of up to two legal turtles per day by hand, dip net or hook and line however, no person shall take more than two turtles per day from the wild in this state, to include public and private waters.'
'No person, firm or corporation shall import or cause to be imported, any nonindigenous turtle species for the purpose of propagation.'
From leatherbacks to loggerheads, six of the seven species of sea turtles are threatened or endangered at the hand of humans. Sadly, the fact is that they face many dangers as they travel the seas — including accidental capture and entanglement in fishing gear (also known as bycatch), the loss of nesting and feeding sites to coastal development, poaching, and ocean pollution including plastic.
These creatures are well-adapted to the ocean though they require air to survive. Their size varies greatly, depending upon 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.
5 facts About Sea Turtles
All seven species are considered threatened or endangered. Two are critically endangered (hawksbill and Kemp's ridley), one is endangered (green and and three are threatened (leatherback, olive ridley, and loggerhead). Flatbacks are listed as data deficient on the IUCN Red List but are listed as endangered in Australia.
It is estimated that only one out of 1,000 hatchlings survives to be an adult. They have many natural predators including birds, crabs, fish, and mammals like racoons. But the female adults can lay thousands of eggs over their lifetimes, so at least a few of them survive to maintain the species.
The sex of sea turtles, like other reptiles, depends on the temperature in the nest. That temperature is generally around 82 degrees F (29 degrees C) though that can vary by species and location.
Sea turtles don't have a favorite food (though most will eat jellyfish.) Each species focuses on different prey for food; the leatherback eats mostly jellyfish, greens primarily eat seagrass, loggerheads prefer crustaceans, and hawksbills eat primarily sea sponges.
Some sea turtles migrate very long distances while others stay close to home. Leatherbacks and loggerheads can travel thousands of miles each year, while greens and olive ridleys have shorter migrations, while hawksbills rarely leave a relatively small area.
Habitat & Diet
Sea turtles live in almost every ocean basin 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 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.
These reptiles 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 (known as 'hatchlings') emerge from their sandy nests and make their way to the ocean —attracted to the distant horizon. The juvenile turtles spend their first few years in the open oceans, eventually moving to protected bays, estuaries, and other nearshore waters as adults.
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. Learn more about their diets.
Human Threats
These ancient creatures have been on Earth for more than 100 million years — even surviving the dinosaurs when they became extinct 65 million years ago. Among the threats these marine reptiles face are entanglement, habitat loss, and consumption of their eggs and meat.
Sea turtles often drown when caught in fishing gear. Coastal development can destroy important nesting sites, impact coral reefs, and artificial light from houses and other buildings attracts hatchlings away from the ocean. Pollution like plastic bags are often mistaken for food such as jellyfish and ingested, which blocks their intestines and potentially kills them. In some countries, they are hunted for their meat and shells and their eggs are eaten.
Sea Turtle Information:
Turtle Life Cycle
What is SEE Turtles?
Game 169: september 22 2017 the initials game show. We're a non-profit organization that protects sea turtles through conservation travel and volunteer tours, educational programs, and Billion Baby Turtles. Our award-winning programs help save sea turtle hatchlings on important nesting beaches around the world, work with the tourism industry to end the turtleshell trade, and educate students and travelers about how to help save sea turtles.
Types Of Turtles
Photo credits: Brad Nahill/SEE Turtles, JuanMa Gonzales, Neil Ever Osborne
