Sea turtles are some of the most elegant creatures in the ocean, but they’re also some of the most endangered. They face many threats to their survival at different stages of their life cycle.
Hatching – Baby turtles usually hatch at night, though some will also come out during the day. They break through their eggshells and then dig up through the sand of their nests. The babies are very vulnerable on the beach, so they race into the ocean’s waves before birds and other animals can catch them.
Juveniles – Babies are unable to fight against the powerful ocean currents and are usually swept out to sea where they can eat sea grass and plankton for a few years up to a decade. They develop into juveniles in the open ocean.
Sub-adults – Before they are sexually mature (able to make babies), young turtles grow to sub-adult age and begin to migrate towards shore where they can feed on many more types of food, but where there are also more predators. It may take years to decades for sub-adults to reach sexual maturation.
Adults – Adult turtles, those that are able to mate and produce babies, travel to mating areas to meet other individuals of their species. These areas can be thousands of kilometers away however they are located near nesting beaches.
Mating – Females may mate several times during a single season, laying anywhere from 1-8 clutches of eggs. Mating pairs form, mate, and then separate with males looking for new partners or returning to feeding areas, while females head to beaches to lay eggs.
Nesting and Egg Laying – Female turtles dig holes in beach sands at night and lay between 50-200 eggs in their nests. The nest is then covered with sand and the eggs mature for 60-80 days before babies hatch. Many predators eat turtle eggs and human development of beaches also threatens turtle populations.
Kasa wa baharini ni baadhi ya viumbe maridadi zaidi katika bahari, lakini wao pia ni baadhi ya hatari zaidi. Wanakabili hatari nyingi za kuishi katika hatua tofauti-tofauti za maisha yao. Kuanguliwa <unk> Kwa kawaida vifaru huanguliwa usiku, ingawa baadhi yao hutoka pia mchana. Wao huvunja magamba ya mayai yao na kisha kuchimba katika mchanga wa viota vyao. Watoto hao ni dhaifu sana kwenye ufuo wa bahari, kwa hiyo wao hukimbia kuelekea mawimbi ya bahari kabla ndege na wanyama wengine hawajaweza kuwapata. Watoto hawawezi kupigana na mawimbi ya bahari yenye nguvu na kwa kawaida hupelekwa baharini ambapo wanaweza kula nyasi za baharini na plankton kwa miaka michache hadi muongo mmoja. Wao hukua na kuwa vijana katika bahari iliyo wazi. Kabla ya kukomaa kingono (kuweza kuzaa watoto), kasa wachanga hukua hadi umri wa chini ya watu wazima na kuanza kuhamia pwani ambapo wanaweza kula aina nyingi zaidi za chakula, lakini ambapo pia kuna wawindaji zaidi. Huenda ikachukua miaka au miongo kadhaa kwa watu wazima kufikia ukomavu wa kingono. Wanyama-mwitu wazima, wale wanaoweza kuoa na kuzaa watoto, husafiri hadi maeneo ya kuoa ili kukutana na watu wengine wa spishi yao. Maeneo hayo yanaweza kuwa umbali wa maelfu ya kilometa hata hivyo yako karibu na fuo za kufanyiza viota. Kuoa <unk> Wanawake wanaweza kuoa mara kadhaa wakati wa msimu mmoja, kuweka mahali popote kutoka kwa clutches 1-8 ya mayai. Wanaume huungana na wanawake, kisha wanajitenga na wanaume wakitafuta mwenzi mpya au kurudi kwenye maeneo ya kulisha, huku wanawake wakielekea kwenye fuo ili kuweka mayai. Kukuza mayai na kutengeneza viota - Nyama za kamba-mti wa kike huchimba mashimo kwenye mchanga wa pwani usiku na kuweka mayai kati ya 50 na 200 kwenye viota vyao. Kisha kiota hicho hufunikwa kwa mchanga na mayai hayo hukomaa kwa siku 60-80 kabla ya watoto kuzaliwa. Wanyama wengi wa mwitu hula mayai ya kasa na maendeleo ya wanadamu ya fuo pia yanatishia idadi ya kasa.