Hatchling sea turtle
"Sea turtle" is a term that encompasses a wide variety of aquatic saltwater turtles. These turtles can vary in appearance and range in size from the relatively small olive ridley turtle (less than 100 pounds) to the giant leatherback turtle (up to 1,300 pounds).
Geography
Sea turtles can be found in all of the world's oceans, except for the Arctic Ocean, which stays too cold for sea turtles to survive. They can also be found along the coasts and beaches of tropical and subtropical bodies of saltwater.
Habitat
Sea turtles hatch on beaches, and from there make the treacherous journey to the water. Once they have reached the ocean, most sea turtle hatchlings are thought to spend the next few years of their life within the cover of unattached Sargasso weed beds.
Diet
Newly hatched sea turtles of most species will initially feed on tiny zooplankton, and then switch to a more herbivorous diet as they mature.
Threats
Most baby sea turtles do not reach the ocean once they've hatched, as predators (generally shore birds, raccoons, foxes and ghost crabs) find them to be an easy target.
Fun Fact
Once the female turtles have reached sexual maturity, most will return to nest on the same beach where they were born.
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