Theresa is a beautiful Green Sea Turtle and one of my best friends. I really love her; she is fun, sweet, and a fantastic swimmer.

These gentle giants glide through warm waters all over the world; from the sunny Mediterranean to the vast Pacific and Indian Oceans. They're like the ocean's gardeners, helping keep our underwater world healthy!

What Makes Them Special?

Green sea turtles are the largest of all sea turtles! They have big, hard shells with dark brown and grey-green colours. Look closely, and you’ll see a special pattern; five scutes (hard, bony plates made of keratin, like your fingernails) down the middle and four on each side, making thirteen in total! Their bellies are pale yellow, like sunshine.

Look closely at their heads, and you'll see some cool stuff! They have a bumpy beak that helps them munch sea plants. And right between their eyes, they have two long, skinny scales. 

The Ocean's Gardeners

Green Sea Turtles are unique because they're mostly vegetarian. When they're young, they might snack on sponges or tiny ocean critters, but once they grow big, they love to eat algae and seagrass.

This makes them fin-tastic for the ocean! By munching on seagrass, they keep it from growing too long, just like your lawn-mower trimming grass in the garden.

This helps the seagrass beds stay healthy, which are super important homes and food spots for lots of other sea creatures. Strong seagrass also soaks up carbon from the water, like giant sponges. So, Green Sea Turtles really are heroes of the ocean, helping everything stay balanced and strong.

The Dance of Life: Journeys and Babies

Green sea turtles travel huge distances, sometimes thousands of kilometres, between their feeding grounds and the sandy beaches where they lay eggs. They know exactly where they're going, almost like they have a secret map in their heads!

And when it's time to lay eggs, the girl turtles come ashore at night, all by themselves. They dig deep holes in the sand and lay about 100 eggs! It's pretty amazing: if the sand in the nest is warm, the babies will be girls. If it's cool, they'll be boys.

After about two months, tiny hatchlings (baby turtles that have just come out of their eggs) pop out! They follow the bright moonlight to the sea, swimming into the ocean. As they swim, they remember the smells of the water, making their own special maps. That's how, twenty years later, they can find their way back to the exact same beach to lay their own eggs! These amazing turtles can live for 70 years or even longer!

Did you know sea turtles have secret ways to chat?

Sea turtles have ways to talk to each other, using different methods:

• Sounds: They can make hisses, grunts, and clicks underwater. Scientists think they also use quiet rumbling in their throats that other turtles can feel!
• Body Language: They use "turtle charades"! They might wave their flippers or bob their heads to say something.
• Magnetic Maps: This is super cool! Sea turtles can feel Earth's magnetic field, like having an invisible compass inside their heads! They use it to navigate, and maybe even to share where they're going.

Scientists are still learning all the secret ways of these amazing creatures, their ocean homes, and how they chat with each other!

Meet the Sea Turtle Squad!

Sea turtles have been swimming through the oceans for over 100 million years, way back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth! Today, there are seven different kinds of sea turtles left, and each one has its own look, favourite snacks, and favourite places to swim. Some are big, some are speedy, and some have beaks like birds!

Each one is special. And like the green sea turtle, they all need healthy oceans to survive. Now that you know the squad, keep your eyes open. Who knows which turtle you might spot next?

Protecting Our Turtle Friends

Sadly, green sea turtles face many dangers in today’s oceans. Fishing nets can trap them, and some people still hunt them or collect their eggs. Their nesting beaches are disappearing, boats can hit them, and plastic pollution makes them sick. Climate change also affects their homes. But there are many ways we can help! 

Here are some sun activities for you. Share them with us:

⚓ Draw Theresa the Turtle: Draw a picture of Theresa the Green Sea Turtle swimming in the ocean. You can add colourful seaweed, fish and other sea creatures to your drawing.
⚓ Green Sea Turtle Craft: Create a Green Sea Turtle craft using paper, markers, and other materials. You could make a paper plate turtle or a 3D turtle using a cardboard box.
⚓ Ocean Clean-up Mission: Help protect sea turtles by cleaning up your local beach or park, especially from plastic, which is the turtles' worst enemy. Pick up any rubbish you find to keep the ocean clean.

Put on your goggles and keep asking questions, adventure awaits!
Sophia the Seahorse