What Do Sea Turtles Eat?

What a sea turtle eats depends upon the species. Some are omnivores, eating a variety of plants and animals, while the hawksbill and the leatherback are specialists, subsisting primarily of sponges (hawksbills) and jellyfish (leatherbacks).

Hawksbills for example, are mainly found on and around coral reefs where their main prey sponges are found. Greens forage among seagrass beds and nearshore habitats, and leatherbacks, which are deep divers, are found in pelagic (open ocean) environments where they feed exclusively on jellyfish and other soft-bodied invertebrates that float in the water column.

WHAT ADULT SEA TURTLES EAT

Green : Adults are referred to as herbivores although as hatchlings they are omnivores. Their diet consists primarily of algae, seagrasses, and seaweed. Greens have a finely serrated (sawlike) beak that allows them to scrape algae off rocks and tear grasses and seaweeds.

Leatherback : Sometimes referred to as gelatinivores (eating gelatinous prey) because their diet consists exclusively of jellies and other soft-bodied invertebrates like tunicates and sea squirts. They have 2 sharply pointed cusps, one on the upper and one on the lower jaw that allows them to pierce jellies and other soft-bodied organisms.

Loggerhead : Adults are carnivores, eating crabs, conchs, whelks, and horseshoe crabs. Hatchlings are omnivores, eating both plant and animal material. Loggerheads have a massive head and strong jaws which enable them to crush hard-shelled prey.

Hawksbill : Often referred to as spongivores because of their specialized diet which consists almost exclusively of sponges. The hawksbill has a sharp, narrow "bird-like" beak that allows them to reach within crevices on the reef.

Olive ridley : An omnivore, these turtles eat a variety of animals and plants including crabs, shrimp, lobster, urchins, jellies, algae, and fish.

Kemp's ridley : A carnivore that eats crabs, fish, jellies, shrimp, and a variety of molluscs. It's preferred prey though is crab.

Flatback: An omnivore that consumes sea cucumbers, jellies, soft corals, shrimp, crabs, molluscs, fish, and seaweed.

Mouths & Jaws

Sea turtle mouths and jaws are also shaped differently depending on their particular diet. Greens sea turtles have a beak with finely serrated edges, like the teeth of a saw, which enable them to tear seagrasses and scrape algae off of hard surfaces. Loggerheads have strong, massive jaws which enable them to crush hard-shelled prey like conchs and whelks. Leatherbacks have sharp, pointed cusps on their jaws which enable them to pierce and hold onto jellyfish. They also have sharp, downward curving spines called papillae in their mouth and throat which help move prey to their stomach.

The diet of hatchlings varies from that of adults. Hatchlings eat a variety of prey items including things like pelagic molluscs & crustaceans (like larval crabs), hydrozoans (related to jellies and corals such as Portuguese Man-O-War), fish eggs, seaweed, and jellies. Green hatchlings, unlike the herbivore adult, also eat a variety of prey as young turtles.

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