Sea Turtles of the Atlantic
Key Vocabulary
Tap a card to reveal its meaning. Only one card opens at a time, and each card closes after 8 seconds. You may reopen any card as many times as you need.
Study Diagram
Study this reference before you match. It shows the structures and adaptations that let sea turtles live in the open ocean. You can scroll back to it any time.
Match It — Practice
Click a term on the left, then click its definition on the right. Matched pairs share a number. 8 points
Terms
Definitions
Migration & Navigation
The Ocean's Great Travelers
Sea turtles are among the longest-distance migrants in the ocean. A leatherback may swim across an entire ocean basin, while a green turtle makes shorter trips between feeding grounds and nesting beaches. After hatching, young turtles drift for years in open water during a stage scientists call the "lost years."
When females are ready to nest, most return to the same natal beach where they hatched. They find it using magnetoreception — the ability to sense Earth's magnetic field like a built-in compass. Each stretch of coastline has its own magnetic "signature," and turtles can remember it.
Off Long Island, New York, warm summer water draws turtles north to feed. But these reptiles are ectotherms — their body temperature follows the water. When fall arrives and the water cools quickly, turtles that linger too long can suffer cold-stunning, a hypothermia-like state. Each year, cold-stunned turtles wash up on beaches around Long Island Sound.
Figure 1 — Sea Surface Temperature off Montauk, NY
The shaded band shows the cold-stunning danger zone (below 10°C / 50°F), where turtles can no longer swim or feed normally.
Migration Simulator — One Year at Sea
Pick a species. The map plays its simulated migration starting in January, dropping a dot on the 1st of each month (Jan–Dec). The gold star ★ marks Long Island, NY.
Watch where each turtle is in summer. The dot nearest the ★ tells you which month it is closest to Long Island.
Data Table 1 — Migration Distances 4 points
Complete the Round-Trip column (one-way distance × 2). Then use the simulator above: for each species, find the dot closest to the Long Island ★ and choose that month.
| Species | One-Way (km) | Round-Trip (km) | Month Closest to Long Island |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leatherback | 7,000 | ||
| Loggerhead | 4,000 | ||
| Green turtle | 2,600 | ||
| Kemp's ridley | 1,500 |
Commas are optional (type 14000 or 14,000). All four species reach Long Island in summer — the map shows which month each is closest.
Show What You Know
Q1Finish the sentence in your own words.
Sea turtles can return to their natal beach to nest because…
Q2Expand this bare-bones sentence.
Bare-bones: "Turtles migrate." Rewrite it using WHERE and WHY.
Q3Use Figure 1.
Explain why sea turtles strand on Long Island beaches in late fall. Use evidence from the temperature graph.
External Anatomy & Adaptations
Built for the Open Ocean
A sea turtle's body is shaped for a life at sea. The hard upper shell, the carapace, is covered by plates called scutes (except in leatherbacks, which have leathery skin instead). The lower shell, the plastron, protects the belly. Unlike pond turtles, sea turtles cannot pull their heads into their shells.
Their front limbs are long flippers that act like wings, "flying" through the water. Special salt glands near each eye remove extra salt, which is why nesting turtles look like they are crying.
The shape of the beak (jaw) matches what each species eats — a clear example of form fitting function. Narrow beaks reach into crevices for sponges; powerful jaws crush hard shells; saw-edged beaks tear plants; and scissor-like jaws with spiny throats hold slippery jellyfish.
Study the Diagram
Examine the labeled sea turtle below. Each letter A–H points to a structure or adaptation. Use the reading and the diagram to identify them.
Identify A–H 8 points
Match each letter on the diagram to the correct structure or adaptation.
Data Table 2 — Beak Fits the Food 4 points
Use the reading. For each species, choose the beak/jaw type that matches its diet.
| Species | Carapace Length | Main Food | Beak / Jaw Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green turtle | 100 cm | Seagrass & algae | |
| Hawksbill | 90 cm | Sponges | |
| Loggerhead | 95 cm | Crabs & whelks | |
| Leatherback | 180 cm | Jellyfish |
Show What You Know
Q4Build the sentence.
Tap the words in order. Correct words turn green.
Q5Form fits function.
Explain how a hawksbill's narrow, pointed beak helps it eat its food.
Q6Expand this bare-bones sentence.
Bare-bones: "The turtle has flippers." Rewrite it using HOW the flippers help the turtle.
Plastic Pollution & Diet
When Food and Trash Look Alike
Each sea turtle species eats different prey, and that diet decides which kind of plastic puts it at risk. Leatherbacks eat almost nothing but jellyfish. Floating in the water, a clear plastic bag or a deflated balloon looks almost exactly like a jellyfish — so leatherbacks swallow it by mistake.
Other species face their own dangers. Green turtles grazing on seagrass swallow thin plastic films; loggerheads and Kemp's ridleys hunting crabs pick up hard plastic fragments. Once swallowed, plastic can block the gut or make a turtle feel full, so it eats less real food and slowly starves.
On Long Island, beach cleanups and balloon-release bans aim to cut down the plastic that reaches the ocean. Studies show the share of stranded turtles found with plastic in their stomachs has climbed steadily over the past three decades.
Sea turtles swim among drifting plastic bags, bottles, and six-pack rings. To a hungry turtle, a clear floating bag can look just like a jellyfish.
Figure 2 — Plastic Found in Stranded Sea Turtles
Percent of stranded sea turtles found with plastic in their digestive systems, by decade.
Data Table 3 — Reading the Graph 4 points
Read each value off Figure 2 and write the percentage in the table.
| Decade | % of Stranded Turtles with Plastic |
|---|---|
| 1990s | % |
| 2000s | % |
| 2010s | % |
| 2020s | % |
Show What You Know
Q7Cause and effect.
Explain why leatherback turtles are especially likely to swallow plastic.
Q8Build the sentence.
Tap the words in order. Correct words turn green.
Q9Finish the sentence in your own words.
Reducing balloon releases on Long Island would help sea turtles because…
Your Lab Score
Score Breakdown
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