Sea Turtles

by Mara Grunbaum

Did you know that sea turtles can live to be 100 years old?!
Nature's Children series provides young readers (Ages 8-10) with fascinating information about the planet's most incredible wildlife species. Each title offers a complete picture of the animal- from birth to adulthood- and describes its place in our world, including how humans impact it and its environment.


Did you know that sea turtles can migrate up to 2,800 miles from their birthplace? These amazing animals are also at risk due to pollution and illegal fishing.

Genres: Nonfiction

48 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2018

Reviews

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is]

Read for my toddler's bedtime yesterday night and today's nap time. Good story about sea turtles and hatchlings. Sea turtles eat jelly fish so I can imagine how they would mistake plastic bags for jelly fishes.. sad.. I didn't know sea turtles can't pulled their heads tails and flippers into their shells..

Love this read from the library!

[Candace]

A Fact File page at the front of the book provides the sea turtle classification. Sea turtle habitats are tropical oceans, coastal waters and shallow beaches. The smallest sea turtle is the Olive Ridley at 30 inches. The largest is the Leatherback sea turtle at almost eight feet long. There are seven species and two families -- hard-shelled sea turtles and leatherback sea turtles. Sea turtles are reptiles. They cannot pull their head or flippers into their shell. They lay eggs and can hold their breathe for a long time under water, especially when they are resting or sleeping (up to seven hours). Sea turtles share common traits but they are also unique. The loggerhead sea turtle is named for its large shell, whereas the hawksbill sea turtle is named for its bird-like beak. "Sea turtles have no teeth. Instead, they use their powerful jaws to crush food." "Green sea turtles are strictly herbivores. Other sea turtles are carnivores." A danger to sea turtles is plastic bags which are mistaken for jellyfish. They can't digest the bag and can become sick and die. Sea turtles can navigate using the Earth's magnetic field. "They can feel it in their bodies. It helps them to figure out where they are and where they are going." During nesting time all sea turtles head to the beach. The eggs are about the size of a golf ball. A female sea turtle can lay over a hundred eggs in one nest. "Some species may lay more than 1,000 eggs in a [nesting] season." If the sand is cool, most of the eggs will be male. If the sand is warm, most the eggs will be female. When the temperature (85°F) of the sand is just right, there is an even mix of male and female baby sea turtles. Baby "sea turtles are born with the instinct to move toward water." They use the bright moonlight reflecting off of the water to tell them which way to go. Bright building lights can confuse baby sea turtles. Predators, such as seabirds and crabs, can make the hatchlings' journey to the sea dangerous. "Fewer than one in 1,000 sea turtle hatchlings survive to become adults." Once the hatchlings reach the ocean, they won't touch land again for many years. "They live in masses of sargassum, a weedy floating plant." They move closer to shore as adults. "They find food and shelter around the coral reefs." "Unfortunately, most of the threat to sea turtles comes humans." In some parts of the world people eat the turtles and their eggs, make jewelry from their shells, and turn their skin into leather. "Sea turtles also get hit by boats or become tangled in fishing nets." There is a Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida, that treats sick and injured sea turtles. "The hospital has released more than 1,500 sea turtles since 1986." At the end of the book are the Sea Turtle Family Tree, a Find Out More page, an index and an About the Author section. This book is part of the Nature's Children series by Scholastic.

[AMY]

48pgs. Another great book in the Nature's Children series. The colorful photos and layouts are outstanding. The information is very helpful for reports or general reading. There are diagrams and sidebars with even more facts. The book also has a glossary, animal family tree and index. I learned a lot about sea turtles and I know kids will love reading this one. Highly recommended for Grades 4-5.

[Cook Family]

"It told me lots of facts- they have 500 bones; they can swim 4,200 feet deep! They can be 50 years old and some of them lay more than 1000 eggs in a season.
The pictures are beautiful."
Eldon