World Sea Turtle Day – 16th June

World Sea Turtle Day – ^16th June

^{World Sea Turtle Day, June 16th, is a day used to honor and highlight the importance of sea turtles.}

^{Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, and olive ridley sea turtles. All of the seven species, except the flatback, are listed as endangered and/or threatened under the Endangered Species Act.}

^{Sea turtles cannot breathe underwater, but they can hold their breath for long periods of time, between 4 to 7 hours when resting. While holding their breath, their heart rate slows significantly to conserve oxygen, up to nine minutes can pass between heartbeats.Sea turtles can be found in all oceans except for the polar regions. During the first three to five years of life, sea turtles spend most of their time in the pelagic zone floating in seaweed mats, in which they find food, shelter and water. All sea turtles have large body sizes, which is helpful for moving large distances and for protection against the large predators. After mating at sea, adult female sea turtles return to sandy beaches to lay their eggs during the nesting season.}

^{The loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, olive ridley, and hawksbill sea turtles are omnivorous their entire life. Omnivorous turtles may eat a wide variety of plant and animal life.However, some species specialize on certain prey.The diet of green sea turtles changes with age. Juveniles are omnivorous, but as they mature they become exclusively herbivorous. Leatherback sea turtles feed almost exclusively on jellyfish and help control jellyfish populations. Hawksbill sea turtles principally eat sponges, which constitute 70–95 % of their diets in the Caribbean.}

^{A great deal of intentional sea turtle harvests worldwide are for food. The IUCN Red List classifies three species of sea turtle as either “endangered” or “critically endangered”. An additional three species are classified as “vulnerable”. The flatback sea turtle is considered as “data deficient”. All species of sea turtle are listed in CITES Appendix I, restricting international trade of sea turtles and sea turtle products.}

– Source: Internet –