A Sea Turtle S Life

One summer night, a young child witnesses a huge green sea turtle laying her eggs on a Florida beach. As he watches, he decides to record what happens in a diary. Readers will follow along as the narrator observes baby turtles hatching from the eggs, climbing out of their sandy nest, and then making a treacherous run to the ocean. As the tiny hatchlings begin their new lives at sea, the young diarist researches how turtles grow, the dangers they face, and how female turtles eventually return to the beach where they hatched to lay their own eggs. Colorful photos and clear, age-appropriate text will engage young readers as they explore the life cycle, natural habitat, physical characteristics, diet, and behavior of these endangered animals. The diary format models scientific observation and critical thinking--and encourages children to keep notebooks recording their own investigations into the natural world.

Written by two of the Southeast's foremost authorities on sea turtle conservation, this is an accessible, fully illustrated guide to the species that frequent the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States. No one who encounters a sea turtle soon forgets it. The leatherback, for instance, can grow to huge proportions, commonly approaching eight feet in length and more than half a ton in weight. Powerful swimmers, they are also among the deepest divers of all air-breathing sea creatures. Despite these assets, the survival of the leatherback, like that of all sea turtle species, is under constant threat from commercial fishing operations, overdevelopment of nesting grounds, pollution, and predation by introduced species. The guide opens with comprehensive coverage of the sea turtle's evolution, juvenile and adult life cycles, nesting, diet and feeding, disease and parasites, predators, and conservation issues. Each subsequent chapter is dedicated to a particular turtle species: loggerhead, leatherback, Kemp's ridley, green sea turtle, hawksbill, and olive ridley. The account of each species describes distribution, habitats, general appearance, life history and behavior, and conservation. For each species, photographs of hatchlings and adults and a map showing distribution and migration provide further information. Sea turtles have been swimming the seas for one hundred million years. Yet all of the species in this book—indeed, all sea turtles worldwide—are on U.S. and international endangered lists. Biologists Carol Ruckdeschel and C. Robert Shoop have dedicated their careers to learning about sea turtles—and to ensuring that we understand that we are stakeholders in the fate of these ancient creatures. With this guide in hand, readers will be better equipped to understand sea turtle biology and support sea turtle conservation efforts.

Marine biologist James R. Spotila has spent much of his life unraveling the mysteries of these graceful creatures and working to ensure their survival. In "Sea Turtles," he offers a comprehensive and compelling account of their history and life cycle based on the most recent scientific data and suggests what we can be done to save them. Illustrated with stunning, full-color photographs. 0-808-8007-6$24.95 / Johns Hopkins University Press

This photo-illustrated book for early readers tells the story of a sea turtle laying her eggs, how they hatch, find their way to the sea, and grow up.

"A turtle sensing danger will pull its head, legs, and tail inside of its shell. This book teaches children about the life cycle of a turtle. Young readers will learn how turtles hatch from eggs, avoid predators, and live a very long time!"

Profiles every species fo sea turtle and discusses their general characteristics, habitats, and conservation efforts being made on their behalf.

Children will be fascinated by the journey that thousands of sea turtle babies must make to reach the sea! The life cycle of this ancient species is depicted from development inside the turtle egg, to their life as a hatchling and their dangerous journey to the water.

Sea Tu rtles of the World provides an in-depth look at these prehistoric looking reptiles that have lived on earth longer than 210 million years, surviving two waves of mass extinction. Author and photographer Doug Perrine guides the reader through the fascinating life-cycle of the sea turtle, from their harrowing dash from the nest to the ocean as vulnerable hatchlings through the many years spent at sea during maturation, to sexual maturity, reproduction, and migration. Perrine describes the evolution of the sea turtle, its anatomy, events that lead to its endangerment, and attempts to save the sea turtle. Table of Contents: Origin and Anatomy, Mating Behavior and Reproduction, The Lost Decade, Growing Up, The Incredible Journey, Sea Turtles and Humans, Families and Species, Watching Sea Turtles, Appendices, Bibliography, Index. Detailed descriptions of the Green Sea Turtle, Loggerhead Turtle, Hawksbill Turtle, Olive Ridley Turtle, Kemp's Ridley Turtle, Australian Flatback Turtle, and the Leatherback Turtle are included, as is a chapter on watching sea turtles from land and from the water. Annotation. Perrine, a writer and photographer specializing in marine life, offers an in-depth look at the natural history of sea turtles and details efforts to preserve them in this guide for general readers. Those who would like to watch sea turtles in their natural habitat will find information on the best land and water locations for observing them. A wealth of color photos highlights species diversity and the sea turtle's relationships with fish (and divers).