Happy World Sea Turtle Day! On June 16, this day is used to honor and highlight the importance of sea turtles. These creatures, like any other creature, are magnificent in their own way.
Not only are sea turtles beautiful animals, but they also show incredible perseverance and resiliency– after all, they have been nesting on beaches for millions of years. So of course they deserve their own day dedicated to their awesomeness!
World Sea Turtle Day would not be rightfully celebrated without mentioning, Dr. Archie F. Carr (1909-1987). He was STC’s founder and “father of sea turtle biology.”
World Sea Turtle Day is celebrated the same day as Dr. Carr’s birthday. He will forever be remembered for the enhancement of the sea turtle conservation movement and the legacy he has left behind.
It was Dr. Carr's research and advocacy that brought the attention to the threatening conditions that continue to impact sea turtles.
His work highlighted the issue and helped create the community that continues to strive for a better life and future for sea turtles.
Dr. Carr realized early on what many know today about the importance of sea turtles. Sea turtles perform many important tasks that contribute to the well-being of sea life and the environment.
Like regular grass, sea grass needs to be kept short to ensure it’s healthy and that it continues to grow along the ocean. Without sea turtles, grass beds will grow into grass blades and become detrimental to marine life.
Grass beds provide a place for breeding and development for many
species of fish. Assuring the upkeep of these grass beds is crucial to keeping marine animals healthy.
Sea turtles are ancient animals that have been around since the time of dinosaurs. Although they have been around for millions of years, they’ve remained mostly unchanged.
It is important that we continue to do what is necessary to preserve these magnificent animals that have been around for 110 million years to guarantee that they stick around for another 110 million years.
10 THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT SEA TURTLES
Due to eight million tons of plastic being dumped into our oceans every year, these amazing creatures are under threat. In fact, six out of seven species of marine turtle are threatened with extinction.
Here, we share ten facts that show just how amazing these creatures are, and highlight why we must fight back against the plastic pollution choking our oceans.
1. Turtles don’t have teeth. Instead, their upper and lower jaws have sheaths made of keratin (the same stuff your fingernails are made of) that fit onto the skull like a pair of false teeth.
2. Turtle shells are made of over fifty bones fused together - so they're literally wearing their bones on the outside.
3. The first few years of a marine turtle’s life are often referred to as the ‘lost years' That’s because the time between when the hatchlings emerge until they return to coastal shallow waters to forage is incredibly difficult to study.
The lost years they spend at sea – which can be up to twenty years – largely remain a mystery to humans.
4. Marine turtle species vary greatly in size. The smallest, Kemp’s ridley, are around 70cm long and up to 40kg in weight whilst the leatherback can reach up to 180cm and 500kg in weight. That’s over ten times heavier!
5. It’s estimated that as few as one in one thousand marine turtle eggs will survive to adulthood. And if beaches are strewn with litter, it can prevent hatchlings reaching the sea.
6. Female leatherbacks make some interesting noises when they are nesting – some of which sound similar to a human belch.
7. Turtles seem to prefer red, orange and yellow colored food. They appear to investigate these colrs more than others when looking for a meal.
8. Marine turtles can migrate long distances – the record is for a female leatherback that swam nearly thirteen thousand miles over six hundred and forty-seven days from Indonesia to the west coast of the United States!
9. Female marine turtles return to the same beach they hatched on to nest. Marine turtles’ amazing ability to navigate comes from their sensitivity to the Earth's magnetic fields.
10. Even with all these amazing features and adaptations, six out of the seven species of marine turtle are threatened with extinction, and the seventh is listed as data deficient.
Plastic pollution is one major threat to sea turtles. In fact, one sea turtle out of two has ingested plastic - often mistaking it for food such as jellyfish.
We all have a role to play in fighting back against the plastic waste choking our oceans.
Join the fight to stay updated on how you can help.
Children and families are welcomed to come tour the museum’s sea turtle exhibits with STC. There, STC staff will give “Turtle Tours,” to help educate people about sea turtles and their habitats.
The event will have sea turtle specimens, free stickers and bookmarks for all the kids that join STC. The event is free and open to the public.
If you can’t join STC on June 14, here is a list of things you can do to celebrate sea turtles any day of the year:
Turn off your lights. If you live in a beach-front residence, turn your lights off. Lights cause nesting and hatchling turtles to wander.
Simple thing like closing your blinds, turning off your lights or using sea turtle friendly lighting encourages nesting and helps hatchlings go in the right direction.
Clean up the beach. Remove any waste from beaches that might hinder a turtle’s nesting. A clean beach will ensure that turtles have a clean nesting ground.
Also, knock down sand castles and fill in holes so that the ground is flat and there is nothing in the way of hatchlings when they’re making their way to the ocean.
Recycle. Plastic that ends up in the ocean gets eaten up by turtles because they believe the plastic is jellyfish.
Over 100 million marine animals are killed each year due to plastic debris. So buying and using products that decrease the use of plastic helps tremendously.
Spread the word. Not everybody knows that June 16 is World Sea Turtle Day. So tell your friends and family, post it on Facebook and Twitter and invite everyone to spread the word about sea turtles and the ways they can celebrate this awesome day with you and STC!
What will you do to observe or do your part for World Sea Turtle Day?
