Sea Turtles

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Barbara J. Feldman

Sea turtles are huge marine reptiles that live around the world in warm ocean waters, although the leatherback (one of seven sea turtle species) can be found in cold Canadian water. Unfortunately, sea turtles are threatened by a black market in sea turtle eggs and meat, long-line fishing, shrimp nets, and beach front development. Learn more at these sites.

Caribbean Conservation Corporation: Sea Turtles

5 stars

"Sea turtles come in many different sizes, shapes and colors. The olive ridley is usually less than 100 pounds, while the leatherback typically ranges from 650 to 1300 pounds!" The Caribbean Conservation Corporation is dedicated to the survival of sea turtles along the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean Sea. They offer a terrific collection of sea turtle fact sheets, species details, video clips, as well as games and quizzes. Researching a school report? Put this site on your must-see list.

EuroTurtle: Education Home Page

5 stars

There are two ways to navigate around my pick-of-the-day site from the British conservation group, EuroTurtle. First is via the horizontal menu (Biology, Educational Activities, Identification Keys, etc.). The second is via the Highlights and What's New sections on the front page. Best clicks are the interactive features in Educational Activities, such as Turtle Parts, Drag and Drop Turtles, and Identification Keys (used to identify sea turtle species.) Other highlights are Suzy's Sea Turtle FAQ and any of the Biology pages.

NOAA Fisheries: The Kids' Times: Sea Turtles

4 stars

"Six species of sea turtles in oceans around the United States are either threatened or in danger of extinction: leatherback, loggerhead, green, hawksbill, Kemp's ridley, and olive ridley turtles." For classroom (or home school), the NOAA has published six issues of Sea Times, each one dedicated to a threatened marine turtle species. The four-page printable PDFs are illustrated with photographs, and appropriate for elementary and middle-school students. For older students, follow the Species Info link (at the top of the page) to the grownup Marine Turtles section.

Sea World: Sea Turtles

3 stars

Although the outline format of this Sea World fact sheet lacks visual pizzazz and navigation is primitive (use the back button to return to the index page) this site is chock full of interesting sea turtle tidbits. "Sea turtles can live in seawater with no need for a freshwater source. They obtain sufficient water from their diet and from metabolizing seawater." For those venturing to the library, there are two bibliographies, one specifically for young readers.

Turtle Time

3 stars

"Each summer from May through August, something wondrous happens along our beaches: An ancient mariner, the loggerhead sea turtle, leaves the water during the night and crawls ashore to lay her eggs in a sandy nest. The task of excavating a nest may take her over an hour to accomplish. The turtle - weighing several hundred pounds - laboriously digs a nest cavity with her rear flippers." Best sea turtle clicks are in the Species and Anatomy sections (look for them in the left-hand menu.) For further research, there is also a Links section.