There's 7 species of sea turtles? Learn more about these underwater creatures in honor of World Sea Turtle Day
Rescued sea turtle released into the wild
A green sea turtle is back in the wild after its release in Satellite Beach, Florida. "Banana" was rescued after suffering from tumors which led to the turtle losing one of its eyes.
FLORIDA - Five of seven species of sea turtles live in our Florida waters, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
June 16 is recognized as World Sea Turtle Day, and it aims to educate people about these animals.
Most species of sea turtles are actually endangered and need help rehabilitating their population.
What is an endangered species?
World Wildlife Fund describes on their website, that species are broken into eight different levels of how close they are to extinction. The term "endangered" refers to the species that are listed as critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable.
Vulnerable species are at high risk of going extinct in the wild while endangered species are at very high risk, and critically endangered are at extremely high risk.
Species can be "uplisted" or "downlisted" depending on whether the population has grown or decreased.
What are the threats contributing to their decline?
There are many factors that have contributed to the decline of sea turtles. Six out of the seven species of sea turtles are considered endangered.
Climate change is one of the main contributors to why sea turtles are re-populating at a slower rate. The gender of hatchlings can be determined by environmental conditions like temperature. Due to increase global warming, more hatchlings are born female and less male.
Another reason sea turtles are having a tough time reproducing is because of habitat loss. Sea turtles depend on beaches for nesting.
Things like vehicle traffic on beaches, Uncontrolled coastal development, and other human activities have completely destroyed nesting beaches around the world. Coral reefs and seagrass beds have been heavily damaged causing sea turtles to struggle to find meals.
These are just a couple of reasons why sea turtles are endangered. Click here to learn more about more reasons.
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How can I help?
There are several things that can be done to help prevent these creatures from going extinct.
Here is a list of things that can be done to make sure these creatures don't disappear from Earth.
- Purchase sustainable food
- Volunteer for beach cleanups
- Correctly dispose of debris like fishing line, netting and plastics
- Leave nesting turtles, nests, or hatchlings alone, and give them their space