What Do Sea Turtles Eat

Most scientists acknowledge these eight species of sea turtles: green sea turtles, black sea turtles (sometimes called Eastern Pacific green turtle), loggerhead sea turtles, Kemp's Ridley sea turtles, Olive Ridley sea turtles, hawksbill sea turtles, flatback sea turtles and leatherback sea turtles. The habitat of sea turtles extends to all the oceans of the world except the Arctic. The flatback turtle in particular, resides in the waters of the northern coast of Australia, and the Gulf of Papua, New Guinea. All the above mentioned species of the sea turtles are listed as threatened or endangered on the list of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants of USA. Read on to find out, what do sea turtles eat.

What do Sea Turtles Eat and Drink?

In answer to what do sea turtles eat in the wild, their diet depends on species and habitat. An important aspect that indicates their diet is their jaw structure. If you are wondering, "do sea turtles eat meat?" Then, you won't be surprised to know that some sea turtles eat meat, some eat plants and some eat both.

• Black and green sea turtles have jaws that are finely serrated that are well suited for a vegetarian diet of sea grasses and algae. On reaching maturity, they are the only herbivorous sea turtles in the wild. However, in captivity, they may be fed a carnivorous diet.
• The feeding habits of flatbacks are subject to scientific scrutiny, and so far they have been observed as opportunistic feeders that eat sea cucumbers, seaweeds and cuttlefish.
• The jaws of loggerhead turtles and Ridley turtles are built for grinding and crushing, which enables them to comfortably feed on crabs, shrimp, mollusks, jellyfish and vegetation.
• The leatherback sea turtles eat jellyfish, tunicates, and other soft-bodied animals, for any other hard substances would damage their fragile scissors shaped jaws. Their mouth cavity and throat have backward pointing spoke like projections, which assists in swallowing.
• A hawksbill turtles mouth is designed to grab foods from crevices in coral reefs. They eat sponges, shrimp, tunicates and squids.

Sea turtles eating habits may change as they age. For example, from the time green sea turtles hatch, to the time they attain juvenile size, they are mainly carnivorous. After this stage, they progressively shift to an herbivorous diet.

Threats to Sea Turtle Survival

As mentioned earlier, all sea turtles found in U.S. waters are listed as endangered species, except for the loggerhead which is threatened. Though each year thousands of turtles are hatched and enter the sea, only about one in 1,000 to 10,000 survive to adulthood. While young and adult sea turtles face several natural obstacles, it is the increasing threat created by humans that is pushing them to extinction. The factors contributing to this sad state are the killing of turtles for their meat and shells, the harvesting of their eggs, commercial fishing, artificial lighting, oil spills, beach nourishment and dredging, coastal armoring, beach activities and climate change. Marine pollutions is another big cause, and it is estimated that more than 100 million marine animals are killed each year due to plastic debris in the ocean. Thousands of sea turtles accidentally swallow these plastics, choke and die. One would wonder why do sea turtles eat plastic bags, but the explanation is simple enough. Most of them mistake the plastic bags for food, especially a leatherback turtle, to whom a plastic bag and a floating jellyfish appears fairly similar.

Having understood what do sea turtles eat, it is also important to grasp the importance of sea turtle to human existence. Sea turtles have existed for over 100 million years, yet it is only in the recent past that they are struggling to survive, as we are creating an inhospitable environment, that one day may not sustain human life either. It is only in changing our ways that we can save one of the oldest existing species.