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200 MILLION YEARS
OF BEAUTY |
 Sea
turtles are reptiles related to land turtles, lizards
and snakes. Sea turtles and their ancestors have graced
the seas for over 200 million years. They managed to
survive whatever catastrophe ended the age of dinosaurs.
The ice ages came and went, but the turtles are still
swimming the oceans. These ancient nomadic reptiles
are truly survivors.
Sea
turtles are still found in all the warm waters of the
earth. Ocean life has given them all some common characteristics.
All species have legs modified into efficient swimming
flippers. These are clumsy on land but make sea turtles
very fast and graceful in the water. The front flippers
are used much like underwater wings, the rear ones like
rudders. Turtles, as air breathing, egg laying reptiles,
must return to the surface for air and to the shore
for nesting.
When
they are active, sea turtles must swim to the ocean
surface to breathe every few minutes. When they are
resting, they can remain underwater for as long as two
hours without breathing.
The salinity of the seas presents problems to marine
reptiles. Sea turtles excrete excess salt through salt
glands in the eye socket. Out of water, this secretion
appears much like tears.
The six species of sea turtles found along the coasts
of North America are:
For more on turtles visit:
http://www.turtles.info
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