Anything they can get their jaws on. This could be jellyfish, sargassum weeds, crabs and shrimps they find among the weeds, as well as plastic bags, tar balls from oil spills, sandals, fishing line, anything at all!

Turtles grazing on coral reefs do not aim at the corals themselves, but often they will try to graze macro-algae and a number of invertebrates such as sponges off the reef surface.

Several months! Yes, as turtles migrate to their nesting grounds, which may be several thousands of miles away, they do not feed, and neither do they do so while they are at the nesting site. They only recommence feeding when they get back to their foraging grounds, and we know from tracking turtles that hits whole process may take several months.

Yes, but this is not necessarily a good thing. They can be reared faster in captivity because the food they are given is in excess of what they would be able to find in the wild, and also because they do not need to search and expend energy in looking for food in the wild.

However, there are a number of caveats to this, inasmuch as keeping turtles in captivity reduces their ability to function naturally, and contribute to genetic mixing and population longevity. Ultimately, if turtles reared in captivity had some form of genetic defect, this might be amplified and multiplied in the wild as the turtles are released, whereas the limited mixing in the wild might have eliminated the threat.

Eggs could theoretically be incubated on other beaches, but it might take another 40 years before we can expect one of the offspring to return and nest. Because of this long time lag, we cannot be certain that a new ‘nesting colony’ can be established. The other problem is that many eggs would be needed to set up a new ‘colony’ and taking many eggs away from one place would threaten that population, just as if the eggs had been poached!

Reduce the amount of light which disturbs and deters adult females to emerge and lay eggs. Because adult turtles do not like bright lights, they might not emerge on a beach were bright lights shine on the beaches. This is not to say coastal developments cannot use lights. But the concept of shaded lights which maintain dark patches on the beach, along with shielded light fixtures is encouraged.

This is in many ways a personal question rather than a scientific one. We believe everyone on this planet has a moral obligation to the rest of the planet to make sure it survives in much the same way we inherited it, when we pass it back on to our children. Conserving wildlife is not something to be learnt, it is something to be felt, and responsible citizens around the globe should feel that responsibility

Current estimates are that turtles can live to be at least 80 to 100 years old. This has only been estimated, but is based on records of growth rates and the length of time turtles have been known to be active as adults.

The study of turtle diseases in the wild is still very much an empty page because when they die they are rarely washed up on shore. There are some viral, carcinoma-like diseases known as fibropapillomas under study in several spots, noticeable in Hawaii, and it is thought to be linked to a type of marine pollution brought about by excessive land runoff of pesticides and other agrochemicals.

There are also a number of bacterial and fungal infections, and a number of parasites along with a number of alimentary disorders in sea turtles, brought about in large part today from them ingesting plastic bags and other floating man-made debris, mistaking them for jellyfish and seaweeds.

Not exactly, in the human sense. Rather, there is a continuous production of tears over the eyes to protect the delicate eye membrane underwater and excrete excess salt from the water they drink.

This is their ‘resting mode’. When turtles are young they float, so they can afford to stop swimming even when they are in the middle of the ocean, and just float along with the currents.

This depends on the species and their feeding patterns, Green and Hawksbill turtles of the Gulf region are inactive throughout most of the night, as they require light to be able to feed and move around.

They do not sleep in the human sense. They slow down and reduce activity to get into a ‘rest’ mode, with their eyes closed, but still awake sufficiently to known when oxygen levels drop and that it is time to surface to breathe.

They swim to the surface, and just before they reach there they exhale, then as their mouths break the surface they take a deep breath. Often they will take two or more breaths before re-submerging.

They are, but here are some differences that set them apart: Sea turtles are characterized by having hard shells, salt-excretion glands, non-retractile limbs, and extensively-roofed skulls. Sea turtles cannot retract their head or flippers into their shells the way tortoises can, and need the hard shells and heavy-boned skull to protect them from predators. Also, because they live at sea all the time and drink sea water, they need glands to get rid of the extra salt.

Sea turtles are reptiles that spend their entire lives at sea, save for the precious moments the female emerges to lay eggs, and the brief incubation period before the hatchlings emerge and rapidly crawl to the sea.

Temperature determines the sex of the developing embryos. In cases where the embryo is kept warm, the resulting hatchling will be a female. Where the nests are cool, the offspring will be male. Typically a nest contains warm and cool areas, so each nest can produce males and females.

However, sometimes if turtles nest late in a season, when the weather starts to cool down, the entire nest might be male. Similarly, if a turtle nests at the height of a warm summer, the entire nest might be female.

The matter is compounded by location, for if a turtle nests under the shade of a tree the nest will be cooler than if the nest were laid out in the open. For this reason it is not recommended that we intervene with turtle nesting and nest location, as natural variability ensures a mixture of sexes and long-term viability of discreet populations.

Not necessarily. Much as the variation in growth rates, green turtles lay between 70 and 120 eggs usually, with an average of about 100. Hawksbills lay slightly more than that. Depending on how much energy is put into egg-making, they may lay more or fewer eggs each time they emerge to nest.

This is the case for the vast majority of marine creatures. Marine reptiles evolved in such a way that they lay eggs on land, but spend the rest of their life at sea. The way they nest ensures the survival of most of the eggs on land, and the behavioural responses of young turtles ensure a suitable number survival at sea. If this were not the case, turtles would have gone extinct many, many years ago!

On average, scientists believe Green and Hawksbill turtles in the wild take between 30 to 40 years to reach maturity. That means that the turtles that return to lay eggs today in the Gulf region were born here many years ago.

Imagine the shock they get when they emerge to find brightly lit resorts, ports and thriving cities!

Turtles have the ability to change the pattern in which they utilise oxygen and at depth they can constrict certain arteries and redistribute oxygenated blood to only the critical organs. 

Not really, in the sense of effects of pressure on air spaces, as the air they take into their lungs is compressed and re-expands as they surface. The rest of them is a lot of water inside a shell.

The way the turtles’ esophagus and their trachea are arranged, the trachea runs above the esophagus and can be closed off, in a sense, so that when food and water are swallowed, they run downward and are not taken into the windpipe.

Not to provide propulsion, but they are used to steer, and act much as the tail fins on an aircraft.

Yes, however they can’t see that well on land. It is much like the human eye in reverse. If we open our eyes underwater we can see, but it is out of focus and hazy. Turtles see like that on land, and they see as well as humans do on land, when they are swimming underwater.

They store the energy in the fats and muscles spread through their bodies. But it is these fats and meats that make them such a target for many humans around the world! Turtles usually spend two to four years accumulating fats before they migrate to the nesting sites.

They swim to the surface, and just before they reach there they exhale, then as their mouths break the surface they take a deep breath. Often they will take two or more breaths before re-submerging.

In the open ocean turtles swim almost continuously and surface regularly to breathe, but they can also take breaks and just float at the surface. In shallow coastal areas turtles frequently rest on the bottom, or in crevices on coral reefs, surfacing every half and hour or so to breath. They have been known to stay underwater for longer periods, even up to two hours.

Not really. Humans are. We hunt them mercilessly and have the technology to take them out in great numbers. Other than humans, sharks may be the largest threat, as they are among the few species in the seas that can bite a turtle and kill it.

On land there are a number of animals, hyenas, wild dogs, etc. that can also threaten adult nesting females and their eggs. When the turtles are younger, however, they are threatened by just about every predatory fish, and to a small extent birds and crabs.

Well, turtles are an important member of several marine communities, from coral reefs to seagrass beds, they need clean nesting beaches, and impact-free open oceans. Green sea turtles feed on sea grasses. If they were to disappear, who would eat the seagrass?

Also, the cropping of seagrasses is important in maintaining the seagrass health. Hawksbills eat sponges on coral reefs. If they were no longer around, reefs might get overrun with sponge and we’d have no great corals and fishes around.

Every animal on this planet has an important role to play. The decline of turtles has been accelerated by mankind, and it is our responsibility to do whatever we can to restore them to their previous numbers.

Mostly for food, but there are some who believe, erroneously, that turtle eggs have medical or aphrodisiac values, and collection of eggs for these purposes present an additional threat to dwindling populations.

Not really, not in the open ocean. For this reason they mate once they reach the nesting site, where a concentration of males and females means they can find each other more easily.

The male has a claw on each front flipper which are used to ‘hook’ onto females during the mating process. Males hook each front flipper over the ‘shoulder’ area of the females’ carapace, and use the tail as the third hook to remain attached during mating.

Yes, in a way they do. The mere fact that they migrate to nesting sites indicates that they have reached a physical state which is suitable for mating and subsequent nesting. At this time turtles go through hormonal changes which allow them to be receptive to courting by male turtles.

Yes, but it varies from place to place. In the most tropical latitudes, turtles tend to nest year-round. In the more southern or northern reaches, the turtles limit their nesting season to the warmest months.

Once turtles migrate back to coastal feeding grounds (coral reefs and seagrass beds) they will spend another 10 to 20 years feeding before they reach sexual maturity. At this stage males and females share the same habitats.

When they migrate to their nesting sites, which might be hundreds or even thousands of kilometres away, males and females spend a period of courtship and mating which may last several months. The males then remigrate back to the feeding grounds, while the females stay on and complete all the nesting emergences for that season, before they themselves remigrate to their feeding grounds, where they possibly meet up with the males once again.

Externally this can only be done when turtles reach maturity. A male’s tail at this point extends out further than the back flippers, and is maybe 40 to 50 cm long. The female’s tail is much shorter, only 5-15 cm long.

The problem is, when the turtles are immature, there is no difference. So, a large turtle with a short tail could be an immature turtle or a mature female, while a long-tailed turtle is definitely a male. Scientists dissect baby turtles to determine their sex but only if necessary, and can use micro-surgery with a laprascope to determine gender in larger turtles.

Not in the traditional sense, but they do have bony plates that are used to cut through sponge and seagrass which are constantly growing.

Well, turtles grow at different rates, just like humans do. Some feed more than others, some exercise more, some are just genetically born to be big or small. This genetic variability ensures that no two turtles are alike, and keeps the population healthy and diverse through evolution.

For instance, if all turtles were genetically identical and a fatal disease was to affect the population, they would all die. However, if some of them had different genetic composition they might resist the disease and survive.

The largest Leatherback weighed in at over 800 kg and reached 2.5 m in length. Most adult green turtles weight 120-180 km and are around one meter in length (but have been known to reach over 200 kg), while most adult Hawksbills weigh 50-100 kg and are roughly 70 cm long.

No, in fact, scales (or more correctly ‘scutes’) counts are a way by which one can tell the difference among species. If the turtle has no scutes, but rather a hard rubbery shell with seven longitudinal ridges, it is a Leatherback.

If the turtle has four pairs of main lateral scutes (the large ones between the main backbone line and the small ones round the edges) it is a Hawksbill or a Green turtle, depending on the number of scales in front of and above the eyes (two pairs: Hawksbill; one pair: Green).

If the turtle has five pairs of main lateral scutes, it is a Loggerhead. More than this, it is an Olive Ridley. These are the five species found in the Gulf region.