Page 325 - Hawaii: Diving, Surfing, Pearl Harbor, Volcanoes and More

Sea Turtles Are Magnificent Creatures

ea turtles are generally found in the waters which is herbivorous. Some species feed on
S over continental shelves. During the first certain prey; sea sponges are the principal food
three to five years of life, sea turtles spend most of hawksbill sea turtles, constituting 70–95%
time in the pelagic zone floating in seaweed of their diets in the Caribbean. Leatherback sea
beds. Once the sea turtle has reached adult- turtles feed almost exclusively on jellyfish.
hood it moves closer to the shore. Females will
come ashore to lay their eggs on sandy beaches he loggerhead has a greater list of known
during the nesting season. Tprey than any other sea turtle. Other
food items include sponges, corals, sea pens,
ea turtles are almost always submerged, polychaete worms, sea anemones, cephalo-
Sand, therefore, have developed an anaero- pods, barnacles, brachiopods, isopods, insects,
bic system of energy metabolism. Although all bryozoans, sea urchins, sand dollars, sea cucum-
sea turtles breathe air, under dire circumstances bers, starfish, fish (eggs, juveniles, and adults),
they may divert to anaerobic metabolism hatchling turtles (including members of its
for long periods of time. When surfacing to own species), algae, and vascular plants. Other
breathe, a sea turtle can quickly refill its lungs common prey items include tunicates, bivalves,
with a single explosive exhalation and rapid shrimp, crabs and rock lobsters.
inhalation. Their large lungs have adapted to
permit rapid exchange of oxygen and to avoid uring migration through the open sea,
trapping gases during deep dives. Dloggerheads eat jellyfish, floating mol-
luscs, floating egg clusters, squid, and flying
ea turtles feed on a wide range of animals fish. Animal prey consists of protochordates or
Sand plants. They are mostly omnivorous invertebrates, which can be caught in shallow
in their adult life, except the green sea turtle marine waters or estuarine habitats.