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Seaturtle nemo gif11/11/2022 ![]() ![]() Many indigenous cultures revere them or consider them ancestors. They are also an important source of income for coastal residents through turtle-watching ecotourism. Sea turtles play an important cultural role for many coastal communities around the world. When at the sea surface to breathe or rest, sea turtles also sometimes provide a resting spot for seabirds to land on - sort of like a reptilian aircraft carrier! importance to humans They also act as sort of an umbrella for fish that use them as shelter from predators. Because sea turtles undergo long migrations, they help to transport these species. Sea turtles provide habitat for an array of “aquatic hitchhikers” like barnacles and other small crustaceans, remoras, algae, and diatoms. Healthy seagrass beds also help to stabilize the ocean bottom which helps decrease erosion from wave action and storms. Seagrass beds which are found in shallow marine waters, provide habitat, food, and protected nursery areas for many fish species, enabling them to take shelter from predators until they are larger. Jellyfish prey upon larval fish so without leatherbacks without these larval fish there would be no fish in the sea! Again, it’s all about balance.Īdult green sea turtles primarily eat sea grasses, acting as aquatic lawnmowers which help keep seagrass beds healthy (like mowing your lawn!). If leatherbacks were to disappear, jellyfish populations would explode. Leatherback sea turtles specialize in eating jellyfish which keeps jellyfish populations in check. On some beaches in Costa Rica, adult female sea turtles are even prey for jaguars that prowl nesting beaches at night, making sea turtles an integral part of food webs on land AND in the ocean!ĭifferent species of sea turtles feed on different things, though most of them like jellyfish. Adult sea turtles are prey for apex predators like sharks and orcas. ![]() Hatchlings are prey for birds, crabs, land mammals, and fish. Sea turtles are prey for other animals at all stages of life. Eggshells and unhatched eggs left behind provide important nutrients that nourish dune vegetation such as beach grasses, which stabilize dunes and help to prevent coastal erosion. Nesting sea turtles help beaches by depositing their eggs in the sand. Sea turtles also have a positive influence out of the water. Learn how you can help protect hawksbills through our Too Rare To Wear campaign and sign our pledge to avoid turtleshell. As reefs become more and more threatened by climate change and other impacts, the role of the hawksbill on the reef is even more vital. Without hawksbills, sponges can overgrow and suffocate slow-growing corals causing them to die. This diet allows less common types of sponges to grow, which increases the variety of life on the reef (also known as "biodiversity"). Healthy seagrass benefits many species and stores carbon.Ĭoral reefs are home to hawksbills, which specialize in eating a handful of species of sea sponges. Green turtles grazing on seagrass is an important way to keep seagrass beds healthy. #Seaturtle nemo gif plusPlus there are emotional and psychological benefits to seeing a sea turtle in the wild. Many places rely on turtle watching or diving for jobs and income and a number of indigenous communities revere sea turtles as part of their cultures. They are important for coastal economies and native communities. Birds, fish, and mammals like raccoons rely on plentiful hatchlings to survive during nesting season. Hatchlings are an important source of food for many animals. The nutrients left behind by eggs and hatchlings that don’t survive provide an important source for coastal vegetation. For example, leatherbacks help manage the amount jellyfish in the ocean, and hawksbills help reefs by eating sponges that compete with them for space. If a keystone species is removed from a habitat, the natural order can be disrupted, which impacts other wildlife and fauna in different ways.įive reasons sea turtles are Really really important Sea turtles are a "keystone species", which means they are an important part of their environment and influence other species around them. ![]()
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