Marine turtles - Ecology & Habitat
A life of great migrations
Most marine turtle species spend much of their lives in continental shelf waters, although leatherbacks tend to inhabit the open seas.
Males do not leave the sea and females only come ashore to lay their eggs on sandy beaches during the appropriate season. During the nesting season, mature males and females migrate from feeding grounds and mate near the nesting beach.Life Cycle
Once the hatchlings exit their nest and reach the sea, a swimming frenzy ensues to reach open ocean zones where currents meet, and where the small turtles find food and refuge from their many predators. After several years far away from land, most marine turtle species approach the coast again as juveniles.
The young turtles develop specialised feeding habits that vary between species. Juvenile turtles migrating between feeding areas can move thousands of kilometres. Only once marine turtles become adults, after decades, do they return to the beach area where they were born to lay their own eggs.
The long time to reach maturity and the many natural dangers faced by hatchlings and juveniles mean that as few as 1 in 1,000 eggs will survive to adulthood. Adult marine turtles migrate hundreds or even thousands of kilometers between feeding habitats, mating areas and their preferred nesting beach. After nesting the first time, marine turtles may return to the same nesting beach to lay eggs every couple of years for over two decades.