What are the living habits of sea turtles? A comprehensive look at sea turtle life

Sea turtles live in the ocean and feed on seaweed, fish, and crustaceans. Generally from April to October, female and male sea turtles mate in coastal waters, and then the female turtle crawls ashore at night to dig a pit and lay eggs. After laying the eggs, she covers them with sand and returns to the sea; after 45-60 days of incubation, the hatchlings break out of their shells and crawl toward the sea to live. At present, the Xisha Islands in Hainan, China and the coastal areas of Huidong in Guangdong, China have become sea turtle egg-laying and breeding grounds.

Are sea turtles the same as tortoises?

No. Sea turtles and tortoises are collective names for animals in the order Testudines and the family Cheloniidae, but "tortoise" can also narrowly refer to species under the family Testudinidae. The specific differences between the two are as follows:

Difference one, different living environments: sea turtles live in seawater and do not come ashore except to lay eggs; tortoises live on land and in freshwater.

Difference two, different foods eaten: sea turtles mainly feed on seaweed; tortoises feed on plants, small fish, and small shrimp.

Difference three, different body sizes: sea turtles have a pair of prefrontal scales on top of the head and can grow to more than 1 m in length; tortoises have small heads and short tails.

Difference four, different limbs: sea turtles have paddle-shaped limbs, with the front limbs longer than the hind limbs, and each of the inner fingers and toes has one claw, with no nails, and they cannot retract into the shell; tortoises have cylindrical (land tortoises) or elliptical cylindrical limbs, with webbing between the fingers and toes and claws at the ends, with nails, and they can retract into the shell.

The above is an introduction to the living habits of sea turtles. We hope it is helpful to everyone.