The Importance of Sea Turtles

Photo taken from Oceana blog

Recently I've been writing a lot about Sea Turtles and what they do for our Oceans. I touched based on what professionals and researchers think but i haven't mentioned my opinion. Many people don't understand why we try so hard to conserve our oceans and protect the sea turtles. Not only do Turtles maintain a balance in the oceans. They also are important economically. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is trying to raise awareness by promoting ecotourism at marine turtle sites. This way tourist see how easily endangered the species is and they will help protect them. I think that if people are are aware of how important these creatures are to our ecosystem, then they would be more cautious. Since sea turtles are so under the radar, it is in the hands of aquariums and tourist attractions to educate their importance.

Sea Turtles Work for the Oceans

Antigua Sea Turtle Project focuses on the importance of the survival of the species. In one of their blog posts they discussed how much sea turtles actually do in the oceans. There are two "feeding turtles" that keep our reefs in check. The green sea turtles are know to be loyal to their feeding ground. Their beaks have finely serrated edges that allow the green turtle to tear off grass or algae. Green sea turtles graze the bottom of the ocean and remove the older portions of grass. Doing so keeps the grass nutrient rich and benefits the other fish living in the grassy area. The turtles also break down hard, poisonous sponge so the other animals can feed on the softer parts.Green turtles keep the balance in a coral reef and grassy area. The other species of sea turtles is a leatherback. They are the largest and most common. These turtles consume 440 pounds of jellyfish a day, making them the largest consumers in the system. Leatherback turtles keep the jellyfish population in check through the sea. 

Green Sea Turtles are grass grazers. This photo was taken from the

projects blog. 

I think that Antigua Sea Turtle Project posted this blog because they wanted to show readers that turtles do play a large role in the ocean. In a previous blog they mentioned the importance of preserving the beaches during nesting season and how to help sea turtles make it to the sea. They want to make sure readers know that sea turtles have a job and that they need to be protected. Without these turtles, our reefs will be overgrown and there would be a shortage of fish in the sea. 

Sea Turtle Nesting

 Oceana posted an article to inform beach goers about turtle nesting season. Sea turtles are they type of animal that does what it needs to do, and leaves. They are very kept to themselves and for this reason we do not have much information about them. Heres some information provided by Oceana. 
From May 1st through October 31st is turtle nesting season. During this time, any construction by the beach is avoided in order to protect the nesting habitat. Mother turtles come ashore in the dark, dig a hole in the sand, and lay 100-150 eggs at a time. Over the course of the season, mother turtles can lay up to 8 nests. After 45-70 days, the baby turtles hatch and make their way to sea. They follow the reflection on the moon to get to the ocean. If there are lights on near the beach, the baby turtles will mistake them for the moon and end up killing themselves. In effort to protect the baby sea turtles, a protection fence is built. A man made dune is put by an entrance to the road and blocked off with a fence. This stops the turtles from going into traffic.
I think it is important that organizations and awareness groups continue to post information about sea turtles. Many people don't understand the importance of the sea turtle nesting season and they don't know how to take precautions. Sea turtles are an endangered species and if people knew more about their nesting and hatching, we could change that.
This clip is of a sea turtle laying its eggs in Indonesia. I added it to this blog because it shows how precious the hatching of a sea turtle is. Hopefully this video will inspire my readers to want to learn more about the turtles and how to protect them. 

Sea Turtles Intro

Hello my name is Aliya. I am going to be researching the life of sea turtles and the dangers they face in the out of the sea world! I love sea turtles because they are the only animals that have to find their way to life on their own. The life of sea turtles is quite a complicated one and later on in this blog i will go into more detail. 

This video will give you some knowledge about Sea Turtles and touches base on what i will be discussing later in my blog. It was made my discovery and Sea World. Their experts want people to be more knowledgeable about sea turtles any why their life is in danger.