Sea Turtle Habitat

Where Are Sea Turtles Found?

Sea turtles can be found in almost all oceans except for areas in extremely cold polar regions. No sea turtle can survive sub-zero temperatures and even if they could, their breeding cycle could not continue in the constant extreme cold.

Some sea turtles are only found in certain areas.

The Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle is only in the Gulf of Mexico and in some parts of the United States.

The Flatback Sea turtle is only in Australia. 

Where's most of a sea turtles life spent?

The majority of sea turtles spend their time on shore only as an egg and a hatchling and then they go out to sea.

Most swim the open seas for quite some time when they are juveniles and for some, this can last for years. In some species, they don’t reach adulthood for decades.

The majority will move toward their adult habitat when they are closer to sexual maturity. The adult sea turtle habitat can vary from lagoons and coves full of coral to grassy areas and sea mats along various coasts.

The females only return to shore to lay eggs.

Do sea turtles migrate?

Sea turtles will sometimes migrate to find more food.

Some species have strong preferences for a particular food, like jellyfish. Others prefer small fish, crabs, or shrimp. Some have a more varied diet and will graze on marine plants or eat marine animals that are available.

Many species of sea turtle prefer to find an area where they have plenty food sources and they can also get back to their nesting areas timely. 

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