Seven species of ocean-going turtles, including the green, loggerhead, hawksbill and leatherback. Five of the seven are threatened with extinction.
Quick answers
What is it?Reptile
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?In places
Long eaten as a delicacy, such as turtle soup in 1700s England, and still harvested for food in many places.
At a glance
Found inOceans
HabitatOpen ocean, Coast
ColoursGreen, Brown, Black
SizeLarge
Legs4
Covered inShell
Lives alone
Lives for50–100 years
Can swim
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Oceans worldwide; females come ashore only to lay eggs.
Did you know
Some females return to the very beach where they hatched to lay their eggs.
Sea turtles navigate using the Earth’s magnetic field.
Often confused with
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