Posted by: Valerie Garnjost
Educational Consultant
Did you know that there are seven different species of sea turtles that spend almost their entire lives in the sea? Mother sea turtles will come ashore to lay eggs in the sand, and then will return to the sea leaving the hatchlings to survive on their own. The mother turtle will use her flippers to toss loose sand and then dig with her rear flippers to create an egg cavity that is twenty inches deep. After depositing her eggs, she will cover them and then return to the sea. In about sixty days the hatchlings start working together to dig out of their nest before making the dash towards the sea.
The hatchlings try to emerge from their nest at night to ensure their safety. If they don’t make it to 
the sea quickly they risk being caught by a predator or dying of dehydration. Sadly, there are many threats for sea turtles from natural predators, pollution, and the loss of their nesting beaches. Unfortunately as a result, only about one in a thousand sea turtles ever reach adulthood.
Turtles have been on earth for over one hundred million years. By stressing
the importance of their natural habitats and providing toys and other activities about all of our sea creatures, they will continue to survive for many years to come. There are many things that we can do to help preserve their natural habitats and to encourage a lifelong understanding and appreciation of the seas and all of their creatures. Many games, books and toys are available to promote the sea and all of its creatures.
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