Sea turtles are omnivores, meaning they consume both plant and animal matter. However, some species of sea turtles specialize in certain areas.
For instance, the hawksbill sea turtle is an expert sponge eater and also consumes algae, marine plants and jellyfishes.
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Hawksbill Sea Turtle
Hawksbill sea turtles feed on sponges and invertebrates found in coral reef crevices. With their narrow heads and beak-shaped jaws, these creatures can reach into cracks in the coral to search for food.
These animals are essential to the health of coral reefs, helping keep them balanced. Adult hawksbills consume up to 544 kilograms of sponges annually.
Unfortunately, their populations are decreasing due to coastal development, pollution and the illegal trade in their eggs. Furthermore, they become entangled in fishing nets left at sea or caught as bycatch (capturing other species that cannot swim away).
Leatherback Sea Turtle
Leatherback sea turtles feed on jellyfish and other small invertebrates. Their mouths and throats have backward-facing spines which help them retain and swallow these slippery prey animals.
In addition to jellyfish and tunicates, leatherbacks also feed on other invertebrates like squid, crustaceans, fish and algae. The gelatinous prey they consume can provide them with a significant source of calories.
Leatherback sea turtles are the largest living reptiles, reaching lengths of over 1.7 metres and weighing in at 916 kg (660 pounds). Additionally, these reptiles can dive to greater depths than any other species of sea turtle.
These marine mammals spend most of their lives at sea, but females come ashore during nesting season to lay their eggs in burrows made of sand. On average, less than 100 eggs are laid per female during this period; after two months the eggs hatch and the females return to their beaches each year to re-nest. Due to climate change-induced coastal development and rising oceans, leatherback turtles have been increasingly affected; fishing nets which entangle and kill them have also become an issue.
Green Sea Turtle
Green Sea Turtles are herbivores (eat plants), primarily feeding on seagrasses, algae and other forms of marine vegetation. Additionally, they consume various other invertebrates, sponges and small fish.
They possess a beak with finely serrated edges, similar to a saw, that makes them ideal for scraping off dead or sick seagrasses and algae from hard surfaces like rocks or rocky reefs. This helps maintain seagrass beds and their surrounding ecosystems healthy; working like a lawn mower that keeps grass clean for faster and healthier growth.
Adult green sea turtles spend most of their lives underwater, resting for extended periods before coming up for air. They can submerge for up to five hours at a time depending on the temperature of the water, but their breath-holding ability is affected by temperature variations. When sleeping, these reptiles burrow beneath the surface in order to protect themselves from predators and often return to the same spot each night.
Olive Ridley Sea Turtle
The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) is one of the world’s most common sea turtles, found in tropical waters throughout the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans.
Its long, slender body and fin-shaped limbs enable it to swim rapidly through the water. As a carnivorous species, it feeds on crabs, shrimp, lobsters, and small fish.
They have been known to consume jellyfish, tunicates, sea urchins and bryozoans. Additionally, they will eat algae or seagrasses depending on their habitat and available food sources.
Olive Ridley populations remain at high risk of decline despite federal protections listed as endangered or threatened. Human activities such as harvesting for skin and meat, accidental capture (particularly in shrimp trawl nets and nearshore gill nets), marine pollution and habitat destruction continue to negatively impact this species.
