The superfamily name Chelonioidea and family name Cheloniidae are based on the Ancient Greek word for tortoise: (khelone). All species except the leatherback sea turtle are in the family Cheloniidae. The leatherback's flexible shell allows it to dive to great depth to feast on its favorite prey - jellyfish and salps. Sea turtles, along with other turtles and tortoises, are part of the order Testudines.Loggerhead sea turtles, named for their relatively large heads, have powerful jaws for cracking hard-shelled prey like whelks and conchs.An adult hawksbill sea turtle eats an average of 1,200 pounds of sponges a year.Sea turtles' natural lifespan is estimated to be 50-100 years.Few survive to adulthood, with estimates ranging from one in 1,000 to one in 10,000. Once in the water, hatchlings are consumed by seabirds and fish. On the beach, hatchlings must escape natural predators like birds, crabs, raccoons, and foxes to make it to the sea.Hawksbills build their nests faster than any other sea turtle species, typically completing the exacting process in less than 45 minutes.Loggerheads nest from April to September and generally build 3-5 nests per season, totaling 35 pounds of eggs.They often gather in a large group to come ashore and nest, which is called an arribada - Spanish for "arrival." The Kemp's Ridley is the only sea turtle that nests predominantly during daylight hours.When a female is ready to lay eggs, she returns to the nesting beach where she was born, even if she has not been there for 30 years! Some females nest every year until the age of 80. It takes 20-30 years for a sea turtle to reach sexual maturity.It grows from a two-inch hatchling weighing one-half pound to an adult size of 3 feet long and 300-350 lbs. 18.35 (10 off) Sea Turtle Family 'A family in harmony will prosper in everything. The green is the largest hard-shelled sea turtle. To My Son Turtle Sea Blanket, Fleece Sherpa Mink Blankets, Christmas Gift For Son, For Boy.Its shell (carapace) is strong and flexible, like leather - thus the name. The leatherback is the largest sea turtle species, weighing up to 2,000 pounds and measuring from 6-9 feet long.The flatback turtle is found only in Australia and Papua New Guinea. They are the green, hawksbill, Kemp's ridley, leatherback, loggerhead, and olive ridley. waters are protected by the Endangered Species Act. All six sea turtle species found in U.S.Sea turtles are ancient species, having been around since the time of the dinosaurs - about 110 million years.
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