Turtles
Most turtles live in relatively shallow coastal waters, bays, lagoons, coral reefs and estuaries that flow into the sea. Due to people's accidental capture and indiscriminate killing, the existence of sea turtles is greatly threatened. The Sea Turtle family includes 6 species of green sea turtles, flat green sea turtles, hawksbill sea turtles, loggerhead sea turtles, European beautiful sea turtles, Pacific sea turtles, and leatherback sea turtles. Including 1 species of leatherback turtle. All sea turtles are listed as endangered.
Chinese marine turtles include green turtles, hawksbill turtles, loggerhead turtles, olive ridley turtles and leatherback turtles5 Species, belonging to 5 genera and 2 families, are listed in the National Level II Critically Protected Species and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The population size in China is dominated by green sea turtles and loggerhead sea turtles.
hawksbill turtles rest in hot weather and have a narrower range than green turtles. Hawksbill turtles are mature at the age of 3, and green sea turtles are mature at the age of 20-50. Turtles must lay their eggs on the mainland, and they can lay 50-200 ping pong ball-shaped eggs at a time. However, the chance of survival of a young turtle is only one in a thousand. The hawksbill turtle has a strong habit of settling on Shanshan Lake Reef. Langzeng's carapace is arranged in a shingle-like pattern. Except for the leatherback turtle, the hatchlings of other turtles also have some shingle-like overlapping on the deck. It is difficult to distinguish the 1st-year-old hawksbill turtle and green sea turtle only from the shape of the carapace. The number of scales on the head and eyes of the two is one pair for the green turtle and two pairs for the hawksbill turtle. The difference between the hawksbill turtle and the red turtle is that the former has four pairs of ribs on its back and surface (shared with the green turtle), while the latter has five pairs of ribs. Most of the egg-laying places overlap with green turtles. The spawning period is from May to January in the Caribbean and from September to November in the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. The peak seasons in both places do not overlap with green turtles.
Green turtles are herbivorous, while hawksbill turtles are omnivorous. There is also the possibility that the Pacific subspecies of loggerhead sea turtles may have exchanged with the greater European and American subspecies of the South African coast. The original species spawns along the coast of the temperate region, and it can be considered that the coast of Japan is an important spawning ground in the Western Pacific region. The spawning period is June on the coast of Florida; June to August on the other coast of Mexico; and around July on the Paracel Islands in China. The original species is carnivorous.
Hatchlings of all species have not shrunk to the same extent. Especially large turtles and leatherback turtles, which are the species most at risk of extinction among all sea turtles. The most numerous are olive-green turtles, with dozens Thousands of turtles come to nest on the coast of India. Sea turtles are prehistoric crawlers that have survived for 100 million years. Although they can stay underwater for several hours, they still have to float to the surface to breathe.
The largest turtle is the leatherback turtle, which is 2 meters long and weighs up to 1 ton. The olive-green scaled turtle is 75 centimeters long and weighs 40 kilograms.
The most special occasion for sea turtles is the turtle. Shell. It can protect sea turtles from being attacked and allow them to swim freely on the seabed. Except for leatherback turtles, all sea turtles have a thick layer of oily skin on their bodies, showing five longitudinal ribs. .
Unlike tortoises, sea turtles are unable to retract their heads, arms and legs. Into the shell. The feather-like forelimbs are mainly used to propel the turtle forward, and the hind limbs act like rudders to control the direction when swimming. "text-indent:2em;">The body shape of male and female sea turtles is average before maturity. When male sea turtles mature, the tail becomes longer and thicker because the reproductive organs are at the base of the tail. p>
Different species and different groups of turtles within the same species have their own migration habits. Some turtles swim to places several kilometers away to nest. And raise hatchlings. Leatherback turtles migrate the farthest, and they go to beaches 5,000 kilometers away to nest, while turtles prefer to grow and raise hatchlings in the southernmost and northernmost parts of their dispersal areas.
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