10 Amazing Sea Turtle Facts Kids Don't Know

Here are ten facts to investigate. Pick your favorite, open its source, and explain it to someone in your own words.

Ten things worth knowing

1. There are seven living sea turtle species. Six occur in U.S. waters. NOAA sea turtle facts.
2. Sea turtles breathe air. Swimming underwater does not make them fish; they must surface to breathe. NOAA loggerhead profile.
3. Their heads do not tuck into their shells. Sea turtles cannot retract their heads and flippers like many land turtles. NOAA loggerhead profile.
4. Green turtles are named for their fat. Their name is not a promise of a bright green shell. NOAA green turtle profile.
5. Green turtles mostly eat plants. Seagrass and algae are important foods, but their diet is not exclusively plants. NOAA green turtle profile.
6. Leatherbacks have a different shell covering. Their back is covered in tough skin rather than the hard scales of other sea turtles. NOAA leatherback profile.
7. Some leatherbacks cross the Pacific. Researchers track turtles traveling between Indonesian nesting beaches and feeding areas off the U.S. West Coast. NOAA leatherback research.
8. Hatchlings do not need a full moon to find the sea. Natural light over the open ocean and the dark outline of dunes help guide them. FWC hatchling behavior.
9. Bones can hold clues to a turtle's past. Researchers study growth layers and chemical signatures in bones from dead stranded turtles. NOAA age research.
10. Fishing nets can have turtle escape exits. A turtle excluder device guides larger animals toward an opening while shrimp pass through its grid. NOAA fishing gear.

Try a fact-check challenge

Make three cards labeled observation, estimate, and question. Which would you use for a measured migration route? Which fits a lifespan scientists are still estimating? Add a source link to every fact card you make.

Keep exploring with the species comparison, lifespan guide, or printable worksheets.