PHOTO VIA WIKIPEDIA, CC BY-SA
The picture
Sea turtles have navigated the oceans for over 100 million years, but nearly all species are now threatened. They migrate thousands of kilometres between feeding grounds and the very beaches where they hatched, which makes both their nesting beaches and their ocean routes critical to protect.
The science
Family Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae. A hatchling’s sex is set by nest temperature - warmer sand produces more females, so a warming climate skews sex ratios.
In numbers
Worth repeating at dinner
A sea turtle’s sex is decided by the temperature of the sand it incubates in.
- NOAA
Leatherbacks can dive over 1,000 m - deeper than most whales.
- NOAA
Females often return to nest on the same beach where they were born.
- WWF
What they face
Floating bags resemble jellyfish, a favourite food; ingestion and entanglement are widespread.
Ocean Conservancy
Accidental capture in nets and longlines is a leading cause of death.
NOAA
Bright lights disorient hatchlings heading to the sea.
NOAA
What is already working
Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) let turtles escape trawl nets, cutting bycatch dramatically.
Patrols, hatcheries and “lights-out” rules protect nests and hatchlings.
Reasons for hope
Decades of beach protection have lifted some green turtle nesting populations.
Meet them
Small actions that reach them
People doing the big work
Hopeling is also a pocket companion: one fact, one small act a day. Open the app