![]() The young sea turtles are pelagic, likely for 5 to 10 years, before returning to warm nearshore waters to continue their growth.Turtles: Our slow-moving, shell-wearing friends. Once in the surf, the hatchlings swim outward into the open ocean, and those of most species enter the gigantic oceanic gyres. There is evidence that female loggerheads imprint on the magnetic field signature of the beach as hatchlings and use Earth’s magnetic field to navigate back to the same beach as adults to lay eggs of their own. Hatchlings typically emerge from the ground at night and can instinctively recognize the horizon over the open ocean, although they can be confused by artificial lighting behind or along the beach. Because of the depth of the nest, emergence requires that several hatchlings dig upward together. Within a given nest, hatching is nearly synchronous. Development is temperature-dependent, so a warmer nest brings about an earlier hatching. Visit the wondrous Bundaberg in Queensland, Australia, and its vicinity to explore the Mon Repos, Lady Elliott Island, and Cania Gorge National Park See all videos for this articleĮggs incubate for about 50 to 60 days. Each nest is created 12 to 14 days apart, and clutch size varies among species and populations about 100 eggs per nesting event are common. The nest is then filled in with sand, and the female returns to the sea. The nest or egg chamber is dug exclusively with the hind limbs, the tail is positioned over the centre of the nest opening, and eggs are deposited. The female emerges from the surf at night, ponderously crawls to sandy areas above the high tide line, and digs a nest. While most species usually have two to four egg-laying events per nesting season, the loggerhead has up to seven. Except for Lepidochelys, which has a nesting cycle of 1–3 years, females nest only every third or fourth year however, they often nest multiple times during a nesting season. All are egg layers, and females must come ashore to bury their eggs in sandy environments. While reproductive behaviours and timing vary among populations and species, a general pattern is shared among all sea turtles. Watch green sea turtles hatch from eggs and head to the ocean to avoid predators See all videos for this article Leatherbacks and ridleys are largely carnivorous and consume a wide variety of crustaceans and mollusks. As adults, both species have shells about 58–78 cm (23–31 inches) long. kempii), are small with wide rounded shells. The olive ridley and its relative, the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle ( L. Adult and juvenile olive ridleys ( Lepidochelys olivacea) are also largely pelagic, but they are known to frequent coastal regions such as bays and estuaries. The shell lengths of few individuals exceed 1.6 metres (5 feet), although some reportedly reach 2.4 metres (8 feet). Apparently following the blooms of its jellyfish prey, it moves widely throughout the oceans. The leatherback sea turtle ( Dermochelys coriacea) inhabits pelagic (open ocean) environments. With some exception, most sea turtles are carnivorous and prefer warm, coastal marine environments. Size varies greatly among the seven species however, commonalities exist in diet and habitat. Meet a 2,000-pound leatherback sea turtle and the pair of Russian tortoises that traveled to the Moon See all videos for this article SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!.Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! ![]()
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