The Sea Turtle Project

Hi Earth Rangers,

My name is Gerardo, I’m 9 years old, and I live in Nicaragua. My friends and I are part of a super cool program called the Sea Turtle Protection Project, where we learn about and help protect one of the ocean’s most amazing animals: sea turtles!

Last year, we discovered that there are seven species of sea turtles swimming in oceans all around the world (except the icy polar regions). They are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, and olive ridley.

Sea turtles are huge and can grow anywhere from 2 to 6 feet long and weigh as much as 1,400 pounds! These reptiles spend almost their entire lives at sea and can even stay underwater for up to 7 hours. Most sea turtle species only come to shore to lay their eggs, though green sea turtles sometimes also visit beaches just to bask in the sun!

Fun fact, female sea turtles can lay between 100 and 125 eggs in one nest, and may build several nests over just a few months. Here’s the really cool part: the temperature of the sand where the eggs are buried decides what gender the hatchlings will be. Cooler sand makes mostly males, warmer sand makes mostly females, and sand that changes in temperature can create a mix of both. But there’s a problem – because of climate change, beaches are getting hotter, which means fewer males are being born. If this continues, it could make it harder for sea turtle populations to survive in the future!

On top of that, sea turtles face other big challenges like ocean pollution and the poaching of their eggs by both people and animals. Because of these threats, most sea turtle species are now endangered. That’s why the Sea Turtle Protection Project is so important! In our community of Salinas Grandes, where several sea turtle species live, my friends and I have taken part in beach cleanups, guarded turtle nests, cared for eggs in special nurseries, and even released hatchlings back into the ocean!

Even with all the awesome progress we’ve made, there’s still lots more to do. Join our team by visiting the Adoptions section in the Earth Rangers App or by checking out the Earth Rangers Shop to get your very own Sea Turtle Adoption Kit and help protect these amazing animals.