Turtles Archives

Sea Turtles: Scutes Tell the Tale

December 5, 2022 neptune3 Explainer, FRONT PAGE, Slideshow, Turtles

Everybody loves sea turtles. With their cool shells, patient demeanors and adorable hatchlings, who wouldn’t? The broad carapaces covering their backs – punctuated by patterns of scutes, or hard scales – practically tell stories and present beautiful images. SEA TURTLES MAY BE LUMBERING ON SHORE but they’re perfectly suited for the life aquatic. They’re streamlined, with large, powerful front flippers that give them the wherewithal for great speed when they need it. And, anyway, they

Sea Turtles Fake Out Predators with Decoy Turtle Nests

May 20, 2020 neptune3 Funky, Turtles

When leatherback and hawksbill sea turtles finish laying their eggs in newly dug nests on a beach, they pull a fast one on would be egg poachers. They create trails and decoy turtle nests a distance away from their real egg caches, scientists say in a new paper. ON THE NATURE DOCUMENTARIES, THE PROCESS OF SEA TURTLES NESTING ON THE BEACH is both charming and straightforward: Momma turtles crawl up the sand, dig a hole,