This World Sea Turtle Day provides the opportunity to highlight the fact that 6 out of 7 sea turtle species are under threat.
This World Sea Turtle Day provides the opportunity to highlight the fact that 6 out of 7 sea turtle species are under threat.
Plastic pollution is one of the major dangers to sea turtles, with marine research showing that one in two have ingested plastic – mistaking it for food such as jellyfish.
Six of the 7 species occur in Australian waters and the ocean off northern Australia is home to the world’s only nesting population of Flatback Turtles.
As we continue to mark the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages our infographic image features a variety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander words for sea turtle, which has important cultural, social and spiritual significance for coastal communities.
Here are some interesting facts about these amazing sea creatures.
- Turtles don’t have teeth. Instead, their upper and lower jaws have sheaths made of keratin that fit onto the skull like a pair of false teeth.
- Turtle shells are made of over 50 bones fused together.
- Marine turtle species vary greatly in size with the smallest around 70cm long and the largest, the leatherback, reaching up to 180cm and 500kg in weight.
- It’s estimated that as few as 1 in 1,000 marine turtle eggs will survive to adulthood.
- Turtles seem to prefer red, orange and yellow coloured food.
