Sea Turtles
Scientific name: Chelonioidea
Sea turtles, sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the green sea turtle, loggerhead sea turtle, Kemp's ridley sea turtle, olive ridley sea turtle, hawksbill sea turtle, flatback sea turtle, and leatherback sea turtle. All six of the sea turtle species present in US waters are listed as endangered and/or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The seventh sea turtle species is the Flatback, which exists in the waters of Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. Sea turtles can be separated into the categories of hard-shelled (cheloniid) and leathery-shelled (dermochelyid). There is only one dermochelyid species which is the leatherback sea turtle.
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Coded by: Lauren Wilson