A Guide to Florida's Sea Turtles

[Music] you the waters off both of Florida's coasts are rich in a variety of sea creatures some of the most beautiful are the sea turtles these graceful reptiles have been swimming in the world's oceans since the time of the dinosaurs making them some of the oldest animals alive today one prehistoric species the Archelon weighed almost 5,000 pounds and was the size of a car no sea turtles today are that big but they are still magnificent creatures with their streamlined bodies and winglike flippers sea turtles truly are built for life in the ocean except for when they first hatch and when females lay their eggs they spend their entire lives at sea there are senses of smell and underwater vision are excellent though they are nearsighted above water seven species swim through the seas and oceans today and five can be found in Florida's waters the loggerhead the green the Kemp's ridley the Hawksbill and the leatherback each one unique in its own way the loggerhead is Florida's most common sea turtle named for its bulky head it feeds mainly on sponges jellyfish and invertebrates with hard shells the green turtle earned its name for its green body fat and it enjoys a vegetarian diet of seaweed and algae the Kintz ridley is Florida's rarest sea turtle and also the smallest weighing only 85 pounds it's found mainly off of Florida's Gulf Coast and its diet is mostly crustaceans like crabs and lobsters although most sea turtles make their nests on the beaches at night Kemp's Ridley's nest during the day the Hawksbill is the most tropical of Florida's Turtles it has been found in the waters off of Central Florida up to Canaveral National Seashore but its main habitat is around the coral reefs of the keys where it enjoys feeding on sponges with its hawk-like beak perhaps the most unique of Florida's Turtles is the leatherback the biggest turtle in the world it weighs up to 1,500 pounds it can travel over 3,000 miles and dive over 4,000 feet below the ocean's surface the leatherback is the only reptile in the world that can actually regulate its body temperature which enables them to survive in colder water than any other turtle their skin is rubbery to the touch and jellyfish are their main source of food Florida is the site for about 90% of all sea turtle nests in the United States loggerheads greens and leather backs all make their nests on the beaches every year from March through October hawksbills and Kemp's Ridley's have also nested in the state but Florida is not one of their main nesting grounds mother's sea turtles will lay their ping-pong ball shaped eggs on the same Beach where they were born after 60 days the eggs will hatch and the baby turtles follow the Moon to their ocean home after hatching they need to move quickly across the beach to dodge predators like ghost crabs our key car national wildlife refuge on Florida's Atlantic coast is the site for about a quarter of all loggerhead nests and a third of all green turtle nests in the US all of the world's sea turtles are either endangered or threatened pollution is one of the greatest hazards to all forms of marine life for instance a turtle may eat an empty plastic bag because they think it's a jellyfish and choke to death others accidentally become entangled in fish or shrimp nets and drown many of the Florida beaches where they lay their eggs have been developed and now hosts hotels houses and other structures as babies hatch they could mistake the lights from these buildings for the moon and move away from the ocean to the source of the lights people are allowed to drive on many beaches and some nests are run over other times the young turtles become trapped and ruts made by tires and are unable to reach their home people are doing what they can to protect the future of Florida's sea turtles many underwater nets now have a specialized device that allows any captured turtle to escape on a lot of beaches residents and hotel tenants are required to keep their lights covered during the hatching season so that babies will not wander inland sea turtles have lived in the ocean for millions of years and hopefully they will for millions more be sure to subscribe for more wildlife Chronicles thank you for watching and I'll see you on our next adventure [Music]

Channel: Wildlife Chronicles

Views: 836

Rating: 4.8518519 out of 5

Keywords: sea turtles, nature, wildlife, Florida wildlife

Id: OeErhcPI1nQ

Length: 5min 58sec (358 seconds)

Published: Tue Jul 07 2020

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