Varieties of Sea Turtles

There are 7 principal varieties of sea turtles, scattered thru the world’s oceans. These seven living species are the flatback turtle , the green sea turtle, the hawksbill turtle , the Kemp’s Ridley turtle, the Olive Ridley turtle, the leatherback turtle and the loggerhead turtle.

• The Hawksbill Sea Turtle

The hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in its genus. The species has a worldwide distribution, with Atlantic and Pacific subspecies. the Atlantic subspecies is Eretmochelys imbricata imbricata, while Eretmochelys imbricata bissa is usually found in the Indo-Pacific region.
Similar in appearance to that of other marine turtles, the hawksbill has a protective carapace, a mostly flattened body shape, and with flipper-like arms adapted for swimming in the open ocean. E. imbricata is easily distinguished from other sea turtles by its sharp, curving beak with prominent tomium, and the sawtooth appearance of its shell edges. While living a part of its life in the open ocean, it is most often found in shallow lagoons and coral reefs where it feeds on its selected prey, sea sponges.

• Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle

Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) is a critically endangered species of sea turtle. It is one of two living species in the genus Lepidochelys, the other one being L. olivacea, the Olive Ridley. It is also the rarest sea turtle.
With a dorso-ventrally depressed body and specifically-adapted flipper-like front legs, it is typical of a sea turtle, and like other sea turtles has a horny beak.

As the smallest living sea turtle species, the Kemp’s Ridley reaches maturity at 2 feet long and is usually only 45 kilograms (100 lb). Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles usually prefer warmer waters but are known to inhabit the waters as far north as New Jersey, but then return to the Gulf of Mexico, and Florida where they are found in off Louisiana. Their range includes the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The females return every year to the same beach at Rancho Nuevo in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas to lay their eggs.

• Olive Ridley Sea Turtle

With a a high-domed shell and a carapace length of only 30 inches (70 cm), these lightly-built turtles have an average weight just over 100 lb (up to 50 kg.). The carapace is made up of five pairs of coastal scutes, with incidences of up to 6 to 9 divisions per side and smooth margins. The head is large and the carapace is a dark olive green color but with a yellowish underside..

Often found in the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The common name in Spanish is tortuga golfina, del golfo o lora. In India the beaches of Orissa provide one of the last nesting grounds of the Olive Ridley sea turtles in the world. Additionly offshore drilling for oil and gas and trawling is blamed for the death of many Olive Ridley sea turtles, washed ashore in the last 11 years. Their ability to breed in the Red Sea was thought impossible, however, recent evidence suggests that they may hatch in Eritrea amongst other places in the Red Sea.

In Costa Rica, Ositonal Beach in Guanacaste Province has the mayor concentration of this turtles monthly, where the “arribadas” occur monthly. In October and November is when Olive Ridley turtle nest in major quantity in this place (about 200 turtles hourly). In the same province Nancite Beach and Camaronal Beach of this Central American country also get a lots of Olive Ridley Sea Turtle. They are common in the Bay of Bengal; seen especially along parts of the Tamil Nadu coastline, including within the main city, Chennai. These Olive Ridleys are found laying eggs in the shore of Saint Martin’s Island in Bangladesh.

• The Leatherback Sea Turtle

The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the largest of all living sea turtles and the fourth largest modern reptile behind  crocodiles. It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell. Instead, its carapace is covered by skin and oily flesh. Dermochelys coriacea is the only extant member of the family Dermochelyidae. Instead of teeth the Leatherback turtle has points on the tomium of its upper lip. It also has backwards spines in its throat to help it swallow food. Leatherback turtles can dive to depths as great as 4,200 feet (1,280 metres). The fastest reptiles on record. The Guinness Book of World Records has the leatherback sea turtle listed as having achieved the speed 35.28 kilometers / 21.92 miles per hour) in the water. Adults range around one to two meters long and weigh from around 250 to 700 kilograms. The biggest ever found  was over three meters from head to tail and weighed 916 kilograms
It is a species with a global range. Reaching as far north as Alaska and Norway and as far south as the Cape of Good Hope in Africa and the southernmost tip of New Zealand. The leatherback is found too in all tropical and sub-tropical oceans, and its range has been known to extend well into the Arctic Circle. Globally, there are three major, genetically-distinct populations. The general Atlantic population is separate from those in the Eastern and Western Pacific, which are also distinct from each other.

• Loggerhead Sea Turtle

The Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) is the only member of the genus Caretta. (”Caretta” is a latinization of the French “caret”, meaning turtle, tortoise, or sea turtle) A loggerhead sea turtle reportedly grows up to 800 lbs (364 kg) and 3.5 feet (1.1 m) long. With a reddish brown color shell color, and their brown yellow skin, they are named for their disproportionately large head. (They are the state reptile of South Carolina).
The loggerhead sea turtle lives in areas such as lagoons, bays, creeks, salt marshes, ship channels, and the mouths of larger rivers. Rocky places, coral reefs, and ship wrecks are places where you might find a feeding ground for loggerheads. Loggerheads nest on ocean beaches and on sandy estuarine shorelines; as well as in the shallow water along the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.
They mainly feed on bottom dwelling invertebrates such as clams, horseshoe crabs, mussels, and other invertebrates and can easily crush the shellfish. During migration loggerheads eat jellyfishes, floating molluscs, floating egg clusters, squids and flying fish.
Once they were intensively hunted for their meat and eggs, along with their fat which was used in cosmetics and medication. The Loggerhead Sea Turtles were also killed for their shells, which are used to make items such as combs. Now both subspecies are internationally protected.

• Flatback Sea Turtle

Flatback sea turtles are usually found in shallow, grassy waters, coral reefs, bays, estuaries and lagoons on the north coast of Australia and also along the coast of Papua New Guinea.
The adult carapace is on usually 90 cm long; low domed, upturned at the edge and has four pairs of costal scales. An olive-grey colour is usually found on the upper parts, but it is more pale ventrally. Also distinguishing this species is a single pair of scales located at the front of the head.
The Flatback sea turtle can eat seagrass, marine invertebrates (such as jellyfish, mollusks, and shrimp) and fishes. It also is note as a consumer of sea cucumbers, soft coral and other soft-bodied creatures.

• Green Sea Turtle

The green turtle (Chelonia mydas is a large sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. The common name comes from the layer of green fat underneath their shell. The range of the species extends throughout subtropical and tropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

One of the largest sea turtles in the world. They can weigh up to a massive 317 kgs and their heart-shaped shell can measure more than 1.5 meters across. This turtle is not named for the colour of its shell (usually brown or olive), but for the green color of fat deposits under its skin. These turtles have very distinctive face markings that are unique to each animal.

Thisis the typical sea turtle with a dorso-ventrally flattened body covered by a large, teardrop shaped shell (carapace) and a pair of paddle-like, large flippers. It it is lightly-colored all around, while its carapace’s colors range from olive-brown to black in the Eastern Pacific green turtles. Unlike other turtles such as the hawksbill and loggerhead, Chelonia mydas is mostly herbivorous. Adults are commonly found in shallow lagoons, usually eating various species of seagrass.

Like other ocean turtles, these green sea turtles are known to migrate for long distances between their feeding grounds and the beaches they hatched from. Worldwide there are many islands called “Turtle Island”, primarily because of the large amounts of green turtles that nest on there each year. Female turtles drag themselves onto beaches and lay eggs in nests nocturnally. Hatchlings emerge eventually from the nests and head for the water. Those that survive grow to adulthood and then may live to a maximum of 80 years.[3]

Chelonia mydas, the green sea turtle, is recognized as endangered and protected from exploitation in most countries worldwide. It is therefore illegal to collect, harm or kill individual sea turtles.