The Life Cycle of a Sea Turtle

Life Cycle of a Sea Turtle

I am learning to: inform my audience through explanation writing

Sea turtles are amazing and these are just a couple facts about them. First they have been around since 150 million years ago. That is a long time compared to humans who have only been around for five to seven million years. Second, they were alive when the dinosaurs were alive and survived whatever killed the dinosaurs.

What is small white leathery and like a ping pong ball? A lot of people would say ping pong balls but in this case they are sea turtle’s eggs, which is what the first stage is. A female sea turtle slowly crawls onto the beach she was born on to lay her eggs. Once she is at a suitable spot she digs a hole with her flippers and lays the eggs in the hole. Once she is finished she pushes sand into the hole with her flippers. In about two months about 80% of the sea turtles make it to the young turtle stage.

The next stage is the young turtle stage. Once the turtles hatch they are about the size of your palm and start to make their desperate dash for the sea. On the way to the sea they have lots of challenges they have to face like holes, crabs, raccoons and sea birds. Sadly only about 50% out of the 80% of the sea turtles that hatch make it to the water. Once they make it to the water they have new predators like big fish, sharks, dolphins and birds. For the first few days the turtles look for seaweed to hide in. Now only about 20% of the turtles are alive for the adult stage.

You know how big a dinner table is right? Because that is how big they grow up to be Well the leatherback does anyway. When leatherback sea turtles, are growing up they are the size of a dinner plate at one year old, 24 years later they are the size of a dinner table. Now that they are adults their only predators are big sharks such as tigers, bowls and whites and the occasional killer whales. At this stage they mate with another turtle and the cycle starts again.

Sea turtles are amazing, precious creatures. Humans need to do more to help them otherwise they will be extinct.