Sea turtles are the live representatives of a group of reptiles that have existed on Earth and traveled our seas for the last 100 million years. Online Map & Sea Turtle Database.
As of 2015, the Kemp's ridley sea turtle is the most endangered with only around 1,000 nesting females left.
Accurate population data does not exist for loggerheads, hawkbills, flatbacks, olive ridleys, green sea turtles and black sea turtles.
Dermochelys coriacea. Natator depressus.
Sea turtles, also called marine turtles, are found in most of the world's oceans except the cold polar waters.
Photo: NOAA Fisheries/Coonamessett Farm Foundation.
A team of researchers looked at 31 marine populations and found that the populations of 78% of marine mammals and 75% of sea turtles rebounded after receiving protections under the law. Loggerhead turtles are the most abundant of all the marine turtle species in U.S. waters.
Turtles have major cultural significance and tourism value.
Members of the public release olive ridley sea turtle hatchlings during an event at Kuta Beach in Bali, Indonesia, on September 10, 2012.
For more than 100 million years sea turtles have covered vast distances across the world's oceans, filling a vital role in the balance of marine habitats.
Five of the seven species are found around the world, mainly in tropical and subtropical waters. Nesting site locations and classification are based on several sources: Sea Turtles – A Complete Guide to Thier Biology, Behavior, and Conservation by James Spotila, 2004; The Worldwide Distribution of Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches, Center for Marine Conservation, 1981; and from SWOT.
7 species of sea turtles grace our ocean waters and most are endangered. They are ocean wanderers, spending their lives in shallow continental shelf waters and travelling long distances between nesting and foraging grounds.
The median sea turtle population increased by 980% following the regulations established by the ESA, and the median increase for mammals was 115%.
Caretta caretta. Clams, sea urchins. Sea turtle ecology research at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center Loggerhead turtle near the water surface. There are seven species of sea turtle that inhabit the Earth’s oceans: loggerhead, leatherback, green turtle, hawksbill, Kemp’s ridley, olive ridley and flatback.
SWOT’s interactive map and database of sea turtle biogeography is hosted and maintained by the SWOT Team and Duke University’s OBIS-SEAMAP.
Crabs, other crustaceans, mollusks. Except for the flatback, all species occur in North American waters and are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.