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Description
Just something to celebrate World Sea Turtle Day, the day when show our appreciation, love, and awareness of the very (rare) marine reptiles we know today and love, the struggles they face in the wild, and what we can do to help secure their future. Sea turtles, sometimes called marine turtles, are a subfamily called Chelonioidea. Generally speaking, sea turtles have a more fusiform body plan than their terrestrial and/or freshwater counterparts. This tapering at both ends reduces volume, which means that, unlike other turtles and tortoises, sea turtles can't retract their head and limbs into their shells for protection. However, the streamlined body plan does reduce friction and drag in the water and allows sea turtles to swim more easily and swiftly. These turtles can be found in all oceans except for the polar regions (though some species have a restricted range) and are generally found in the waters over continental shelves. As we all known, females come up on the sandy beach during nesting season, mostly at night. There, they build their nests, lays eggs, and then bury them before heading back into the sea. When they hatch, the hatchlings dig their way out and scramble to the ocean before land predators (such as gulls and other seabirds, crabs, crocodilians, hawks, foxes, raccoons, and, sometimes, other sea turtles) get a hold of them, though many don't make it and only some make it back to the ocean (therefore, safety in numbers). When they do reach the ocean, and during the first three to five years of life, sea turtles spend most of their time in the Pelagic Zone, floating in seaweed mats. Once they reached adulthood, the turtles move closer to the shore (where, for females, the cycle is repeated). They migrate to reach their spawning beaches, which are limited in numbers. Living in the ocean would mean that they migrate usually over large distances. All sea turtles have large body sizes, which is helpful for moving large distances. Large body sizes also offer good protection against the large predators (notably sharks) found in the ocean. As adults, sea turtles have little to no predators to fear, except sharks, crocodiles, and jaguars (in South America). There are seven species of sea turtles today. Those are:

1. Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) - (Endangered) Top-center right
2. Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) - (Vulnerable) Top left
3. Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) - (Critically Endangered) Bottom left
4. Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) - (Vulnerable) Bottom Right (Smallest and rarest species)
5. Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) - (Critically Endangered) Center left
6. Flatback Sea Turtle (Natator depressus) - (Data Deficient) Center right
7. Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) - (Vulnerable) Top right (Largest species)

The loggerhead, Kemp's ridley, olive ridley, and hawksbill sea turtles are omnivorous their entire life, eating a wide variety of plant and animal life including decapods, seagrasses, seaweed, sponges (a primary food source for the hawksbill, especially in the Caribbeans), mollusks, cnidarians, echinoderms, worms and fish. But some species specialize on certain prey. For the green sea turtle, its diet changes as it grows, as juveniles are omnivorous, but as they mature they become exclusively herbivorous. This diet shift has an effect on the green sea turtle's morphology and it has a serrated jaw that is used to eat sea grass and algae. Leatherback sea turtles feed almost exclusively on jellyfish and help control jellyfish populations (and have the throats adapted for taking in jellies without getting stung).

All sea turtle species are classified as threatened species, whether Vulnerable (the Loggerhead, the Olive Ridley sea turtle, and the Leatherback), Endangered (the green sea turtle), or Critically Endangered (the Kemp's Ridley sea turtle and the Hawksbill). The threats they face are illegal hunting and/or overharvesting (for their meat, eggs, skins, and/or even their shells), pollution (including oil spills), disturbances on the beaches, and bycatch (when they get caught by accident). However, sea turtles are too important to let disappear because they play key roles in two habitat types: oceans and beaches/dunes. In the ocean, they help maintain the health of the sea grass beds by eating and grazing on sea grass, helping it grow across the sea floor. On the beaches/dunes, sea turtles help with their nests. Eggs, hatched or unhatched, and hatchlings that fail to make it into the ocean are nutrient sources for dune vegetation. Dune vegetation is able to grow and become stronger with the nutrients from sea turtle nests. Stronger vegetation and root systems help to hold the sand in the dunes and help protect the beach from erosion. Sea turtles also hold a symboitic relationship with some creatures, including the yellow tang and barnacles.

Lucky for the sea turtles, there are good people who want to help them. All species are protected by law, never to be hunted or harmed (and even collecting their eggs is made illegal). Some programs even help rehabilitate sea turtles back into the wild. You too can help sea turtles and here's how:

1. Avoid buying anything made from turtleshell (or anything made from sea turtles) and report if any such product is being sold.
2. Keep plastic out of the ocean by reducing the use of it and picking it up when you see it (and always remember to recycle).
3. Dive turtle-friendly and give them a good amount of space while viewing them at a good distance.
4. Use reef-friendly sunscreen.
5. Keep your fins from coral, careful not to kick or touch it, and encourage others to do the same.
6. Volunteer at sea turtle rescue facilities, if you can.
7. Support conservation efforts being done to protect sea turtles and their ocean home.

With all that said, Happy World Sea Turtle Day!

Description
Just something to celebrate World Sea Turtle Day, the day when show our appreciation, love, and awareness of the very (rare) marine reptiles we know today and love, the struggles they face in the wild, and what we can do to help secure their future. Sea turtles, sometimes called marine turtles, are a subfamily called Chelonioidea. Generally speaking, sea turtles have a more fusiform body plan than their terrestrial and/or freshwater counterparts. This tapering at both ends reduces volume, which means that, unlike other turtles and tortoises, sea turtles can't retract their head and limbs into their shells for protection. However, the streamlined body plan does reduce friction and drag in the water and allows sea turtles to swim more easily and swiftly. These turtles can be found in all oceans except for the polar regions (though some species have a restricted range) and are generally found in the waters over continental shelves. As we all known, females come up on the sandy beach during nesting season, mostly at night. There, they build their nests, lays eggs, and then bury them before heading back into the sea. When they hatch, the hatchlings dig their way out and scramble to the ocean before land predators (such as gulls and other seabirds, crabs, crocodilians, hawks, foxes, raccoons, and, sometimes, other sea turtles) get a hold of them, though many don't make it and only some make it back to the ocean (therefore, safety in numbers). When they do reach the ocean, and during the first three to five years of life, sea turtles spend most of their time in the Pelagic Zone, floating in seaweed mats. Once they reached adulthood, the turtles move closer to the shore (where, for females, the cycle is repeated). They migrate to reach their spawning beaches, which are limited in numbers. Living in the ocean would mean that they migrate usually over large distances. All sea turtles have large body sizes, which is helpful for moving large distances. Large body sizes also offer good protection against the large predators (notably sharks) found in the ocean. As adults, sea turtles have little to no predators to fear, except sharks, crocodiles, and jaguars (in South America). There are seven species of sea turtles today. Those are:

1. Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) - (Endangered) Top-center right
2. Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) - (Vulnerable) Top left
3. Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) - (Critically Endangered) Bottom left
4. Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) - (Vulnerable) Bottom Right (Smallest and rarest species)
5. Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) - (Critically Endangered) Center left
6. Flatback Sea Turtle (Natator depressus) - (Data Deficient) Center right
7. Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) - (Vulnerable) Top right (Largest species)

The loggerhead, Kemp's ridley, olive ridley, and hawksbill sea turtles are omnivorous their entire life, eating a wide variety of plant and animal life including decapods, seagrasses, seaweed, sponges (a primary food source for the hawksbill, especially in the Caribbeans), mollusks, cnidarians, echinoderms, worms and fish. But some species specialize on certain prey. For the green sea turtle, its diet changes as it grows, as juveniles are omnivorous, but as they mature they become exclusively herbivorous. This diet shift has an effect on the green sea turtle's morphology and it has a serrated jaw that is used to eat sea grass and algae. Leatherback sea turtles feed almost exclusively on jellyfish and help control jellyfish populations (and have the throats adapted for taking in jellies without getting stung).

All sea turtle species are classified as threatened species, whether Vulnerable (the Loggerhead, the Olive Ridley sea turtle, and the Leatherback), Endangered (the green sea turtle), or Critically Endangered (the Kemp's Ridley sea turtle and the Hawksbill). The threats they face are illegal hunting and/or overharvesting (for their meat, eggs, skins, and/or even their shells), pollution (including oil spills), disturbances on the beaches, and bycatch (when they get caught by accident). However, sea turtles are too important to let disappear because they play key roles in two habitat types: oceans and beaches/dunes. In the ocean, they help maintain the health of the sea grass beds by eating and grazing on sea grass, helping it grow across the sea floor. On the beaches/dunes, sea turtles help with their nests. Eggs, hatched or unhatched, and hatchlings that fail to make it into the ocean are nutrient sources for dune vegetation. Dune vegetation is able to grow and become stronger with the nutrients from sea turtle nests. Stronger vegetation and root systems help to hold the sand in the dunes and help protect the beach from erosion. Sea turtles also hold a symboitic relationship with some creatures, including the yellow tang and barnacles.

Lucky for the sea turtles, there are good people who want to help them. All species are protected by law, never to be hunted or harmed (and even collecting their eggs is made illegal). Some programs even help rehabilitate sea turtles back into the wild. You too can help sea turtles and here's how:

1. Avoid buying anything made from turtleshell (or anything made from sea turtles) and report if any such product is being sold.
2. Keep plastic out of the ocean by reducing the use of it and picking it up when you see it (and always remember to recycle).
3. Dive turtle-friendly and give them a good amount of space while viewing them at a good distance.
4. Use reef-friendly sunscreen.
5. Keep your fins from coral, careful not to kick or touch it, and encourage others to do the same.
6. Volunteer at sea turtle rescue facilities, if you can.
7. Support conservation efforts being done to protect sea turtles and their ocean home.

With all that said, Happy World Sea Turtle Day!