Ocean Celebrities- Who Am I?

A Webquest

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Sea Turtles

 Your task is to research and write a description of yourself.

Remember don't let on what you are!

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Process

Follow the steps below to help you complete your task.

1. Print the worksheet . You will use this to record your notes. Remember to keep a list of resources used.

2. Using the website links below and the books provided, read and take notes.

3. Use your notes to write sentences. Remember to use the sub-headings from the worksheet as a guide; include your name and resources.

4. Print your draft copy.

5. With a partner re-read your draft and edit your work.

• Look for spelling and punctuation errors.
• Does it make sense?
• Have you given away the secret?
• Show your teacher.

6. Make the necessary changes to your draft on the computer.

7. Change the font and size to make your work look special. When you are happy with the final copy, print your work and show the teacher.

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Description: Adults males and females are equal size. The leatherback turtle is the largest sea turtle reaching about 105cm in length and about 101kg in weight. They may be olive-green, yellow, greenish-brown or black in colour. The sea turtle is known for its large shell. It cannot retract its head and limbs under its shell as land turtles can. The large, bony shell provides protection from predation and abrasion. The shell is covered with a layer of horny plates called scutes.

Sea turtles do not have large upper eyelids that provide protection for their eyes. They do not have external ear openings. They do not have teeth.

The adult male sea turtles have longer and thicker tails than females.

Distribution:

Sea turtles are found in warm seas throughout the world.

Habitat:

Adults are found in shallow coastal waters, bays and lagoons. Some sea turtles migrate from feeding grounds to nesting grounds, others nest and feed in the same general area.

Food:

Diet varies with species. Sea turtles may be carnivorous (meat eating), herbivorous (plant eating), or omnivorous (eating both meat and plants). The jaw structure of many species indicates their diet.

For example:

1. Green and black sea turtles have jaws that are adapted for a vegetarian diet of sea grasses.

2. Loggerheads' and Ridleys' jaws are adapted for crushing and grinding. Their diet consists primarily of crab, mollusks, shrimps, jellyfish and vegetation.

Some types of sea turtles change their eating habits as they age. For example, green sea turtles are mainly carnivorous from hatchling until juvenile size; they then shift to a herbivorous diet.

Reproduction: Like other turtles, sea turtles lay eggs. They must come ashore to do so. For most types of turtles the females usually nest during the warmest months of the year. Most females return to the same nesting beach each year. Females usually come ashore at night, alone, most often during high tide. A female turtle crawls above the high tide line and using her front flippers, digs out a "body pit." Then using her hind flippers, she digs an egg cavity.

Depending on the species, the female deposits 50 - 200 eggs into the egg cavity. The eggs are soft -shelled. They do not break when they fall into the egg cavity.

The female covers the nest with sand using her hind flippers. Burying her eggs serves three purposes;

1. protects the eggs from predators

2. helps keep the soft eggs from drying out

3. helps the eggs to maintain proper temperature

Resource:

http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/SeaTurtle.html  

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