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Green Sea Turtle Research Paper

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A sea turtle is a large marine reptile with a bony or leathery shell and flippers, coming ashore annually on sandy beaches to lay eggs. They are very ancient animals. The seven sea turtles you find today have been around 110 years. The types of sea turtles are Green sea turtle, Leatherback sea turtle, Loggerhead sea turtle, Hawksbill sea turtle, Kemp Ridley sea turtle, and Olive Ridley sea turtle. The scientific superfamily classification for sea turtles is Chelonioidea. The scientific name for the Green sea turtle is Chelonia mydas. The scientific name for the Leatherback sea turtle is Dermochelys coriacea. The scientific name for the Loggerhead sea turtle is Caretta caretta. The scientific name for the Hawksbill sea turtle is Eretmochelys …show more content…

They mate at sea then they return to land at night. The mother uses her hand flippers to dig a circular hole 40 to 50 centimeters deep. When the nest is dug, she starts filling it with soft-shelled eggs until she has placed around 50 to 350 eggs. Some only lay 250 eggs depending on the species. After she fills the hole with eggs she fills it with sand and makes sure it has a smooth surface. She then camouflages the nest with grass so it’s harder for predators to find. It takes her about 30 to 60 minutes for the whole process. The mother then returns to the ocean while the eggs are untended. The turtle gender depends on the temperature of the sand. Lighter sands make higher temperature so that decreases incubation which makes more female turtles. It is warmer in the middle of the nest so those sea turtles will most likely be females. Incubation takes about 50 to 60 days. The eggs hatch together over a short amount of time. The hatchlings tear the egg apart with their caruncle and an egg tooth. They then dig through the sand. All but one of the sea turtles will hatch at night which is the Kemp sea turtle. It happens because they are most endangered. Sea turtles that hatch during the day are more likely to be seen by predators. When they reach the surface of the nest they go straight to the sea. The smaller the hatchling is the less likely it will survive. This happens because smaller sea turtles are slower than bigger sea turtles (“Life

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