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Sea turtles are very old organisms. They live on the Earth more than 220 million years. They managed to survive weather changes which killed the dinosaurs.
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Their body is protected with upper shell called carapace.
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Unlike land turtles, sea turtles can't hide their heads and legs inside the shell. That makes them more vulnerable when they come in contact with predators.
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Sea turtles spend most of their life in the ocean. Females can be seen on the beaches only during nesting season.
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During nesting season female will return back to the same beach where she was born. She will find the right beach even after 30 years of absence.
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Turtle lays eggs in the holes in the sand. These "nests" can't be recognized easily because turtle covers them with additional layer of sand. Depending on the species, each nest contains between 60-200 eggs.
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Temperature determines the gender of the baby turtles. Female will be born if the temperature of the egg is high and male if the temperature of the egg is low.
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Young turtles hatch during night and they use moonlight to find their way to the sea. Too many lights that are coming from the beach or from a nearby road can disorient and confuse young turtles.
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Sea turtles walk slowly on the ground because their flippers are adapted for swimming and not walking. They are excellent swimmers that can travel large distances. Leatherback turtle can travel 12.000 miles from Indonesia to Oregon.
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Sea turtles don't have teeth, but their mouths are adapted to each type of food that they normally eat. Green Sea Turtle is vegetarian who eats sea grass, while other turtles eat crabs, clams, jellyfish, sea cucumbers…
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Sea turtles will grab and eat plastic bag from the water because it looks like a jellyfish. This could kill sea turtle.
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Sea turtles have lungs and breathe atmospheric air. They spend most of their time under water but they need to come to the surface of the water to grab some air.
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Size of sea turtles is specific for each species. Kemp's Ridley turtle weighs 80-100 pounds, while Leatherback turtle weighs more than 1000 pounds.
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Sea turtles can hear vibration. They have excellent eyesight and sense of smell.
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Sea turtles can live from 70-80 years.
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Sea turtles are group of reptiles that can be found in all oceans of the world except in the polar area. Out of 7 known species of sea turtles, 6 are critically endangered. Main factors that decrease number of sea turtles are: poaching, loss of nesting or feeding areas, accidental catch (called bycatch), ocean pollution and weather changes (global warming).