A Brief History of the Sea Turtle

We won't tell you to "Just keep swimming…" or "Ride the E.A.C." or even speak in a surfer accent. What we will say is that sea turtles are sometimes referred to as marine turtles —species: Testudines chordata— and are not confined to one single area of the ocean but instead take on the motto that "the entire world is, in fact, theirs for the taking" (save for the extremely cold waters of the Antarctic and Arctic).

The reptilian name of "sea turtle" actually encompasses 7 different kinds of turtle: leatherback, loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, green, olive ridley, flatback, and hawksbill. Though there are several differences between these types, the backs of the turtles that we refer to as “shells” are made up of hard, thick plates called scutes. The only exception to this is the leatherback whose carapace is soft, flexible and slightly rubbery. Turtles can vary in size between 2 feet to 7 feet long and range between 70 to 1500 pounds depending on the exact type.

How are do these guys come into existence, you may be asking yourself?

And, have we got the story to shell out to you! These swimmers migrate up to 3,700 miles each way, mating at sea. All the while, the female turtle selects the perfect beach for nesting, typically somewhere tropical. The temperature of the sand determines the sex of the sea turtles with cooler sand producing a male and warmer giving way to a female.

After selecting the spot where she can lay her clutch of 2-7 eggs, she buries them in the sand and then returns to the ocean. Anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks later, tiny hatchlings will peck their way out of their shells, writhing their way to the surface of the sand.

Soon after working their way up, these little sea turtle hatchlings then make their journey toward the shoreline and on to the waves of the big blue. But, not before being forced to dodge every possible predator one might imagine, including but not limited to: humans, dogs, raccoons, fire ants, lizards, coyotes, wild hogs, and even birds.

Once in the ocean, despite being rapid swimmers—in part due to their webbed feet, they are faced yet with even more predators: sea birds, dolphins, jellyfish, and many carnivorous fish. When not worrying about escaping, they enjoy the liberties of feasting on the sea around them: most turtles turn to algae and marine grasses while loggerheads dine on mollusks.

These turtles can survive anywhere between 50-100 years with the common lifespan of 80 years. Unfortunately, it is rare to see them live this long (the odds of making it an entire lifetime is one in a thousand). Most species are endangered as they are slow to mature and many times before procreating are unintentionally captured or killed by fisheries or the aforementioned predators.

Many rehabilitations centers exist for turtles that have been harmed. If you’d like to adopt a sea turtle, most sites will allow you to do so. The South Carolina Aquarium here in Charleston, SC has a Sea Turtle Care Center which will allow you to become a sea turtle guardian while they’re on the mend.

So, next time you hear the phrase “Lights Out,” this might bring new depth of meaning to you so that you can aid in allowing the turtles to find their way safely to the ocean after hatching and providing them a better chance at survival in the great blue beyond!   

~ Kristen N. Granet