Sea turtles are of order ‘Testudines’ characterized by a shell developed from their skeleton.Turtles are from a group of modern reptiles known as ‘Daipsida’. Sea turtles are unable to breathe underwater all time and hence need to come to the surface for air.Sea turtles are able to hold their breath for 4-7 hours underwater when they are sleeping for taking rest, and when they are doing their daily chores they can hold their breath for up to 45 minutes and then dive for four to five minutes for food. There are a number of species of sea turtle like a green sea turtle, olive ridley sea turtle, leatherback sea turtle, and loggerhead sea turtle, that enjoys a range of temperature and lay eggs at the bottom of the marine bed.Sea turtles are ectotherms which means they are called cold-blooded. Jellyfish is the favorite food for a sea turtle and since they are cold-blooded sea turtles, they have a slow metabolic rate, which allows them to be submerged for long periods of time by absorbing dissolved oxygen through their skin and cloaca. Turtles who go into hibernation can stay underwater for several months at a time, this is possible because of the cloaca. Cloaca plays an important part by which a turtle can breathe air and stay underwater for long periods. The cloaca is an opening present at the rear end of the turtle where the rectum is also present. Turtle species like the eastern painted turtle have the cloaca, which contains a good density of blood vessels, which helps the turtle to absorb even more oxygen in the water using its skin. Musk turtle another species of sea turtle can absorb oxygen into the blood vessels in the throat cavity and this is the reason turtles can stay longer underwater.Modern turtles got distributed between two groups, the ‘Pleurodira’ meaning a side-necked turtle, and ‘Cryptodira’ meaning hidden neck turtle which only differ the way their head got retracted. After 1500 AD, there are 360 turtles species which includes terrapins and tortoises. The leatherback turtle is the largest sea turtle species present today, which weighs up to 1100 lb (499 kg) and can grow 8 ft (2.44 m) in lenght.They are distributed among the many oceans and continents. Turtles are among those vertebrates who possess one complete shell. The upper region of this shell is doomed carapace, and the underside is called the flatter plastron or belly plate. A turtle’s shell is unique among vertebrates, serving to protect the turtles and give protection from predators. Epidermal scales called scutes cover the surface of the shell. Scutes are made up of keratin, which makes the fingernail in humans also. Turtle’s shells shape show difference according to the adaptations of species, sometimes with the sex also. These land-dwelling turtles have domed shells, that help them to protect themselves from getting attacked by larger animals.Aquatic turtles possess smoother snd flatter shells that let these turtles cut through the water. Sea turtles possess streamlined shells that help in reducing drag and hence increase stability in ocean waters. You can these sea animals on the sand of the beach coming to get a good breath. When underwater, they prefer their nesting sites for eggs to be somewhere remote.These marine animals sleep underwater as well, which might give many divers the thought that they have died, but actually just sleeping underwater. The painted turtle is able to get oxygen underwater, but it still comes to the surface for a good breath of air same as that of dolphins and whales. Their eggs laying site can sometimes be on the sand in fresh air or underwater as well. Many human disturbances like light, loud noises, and trash around scare away the turtle. Even in few cases, these sea turtles tend to die from consuming trash which they usually confuse for food.Do you also like sea turtles and have the curiosity to know more about them, then here you can also read about can box turtles swim and how big do painted turtles get, on our website.How do turtles breathe underwater?It’s not that turtle species cannot breathe underwater at all due to a number of reasons. Turtles breathe air even when they stay underwater. Turtles possess a cloaca, in easier terms, we can say it is their butt, which comprises of many blood vessels through which turtles get oxygen. Therefore, the most suitable way to consume oxygen available in water is with the help of cloaca, therefore it is called cloacal respiration.In general, turtles are able to hold their breath for a maximum of 45 minutes to one hour during their routine activity and dive for four to five minutes then they come to the surface to take a breath for a few seconds then dive again. Sea turtles, on the other hand, cannot breathe underwater and must come to the surface to air, despite the fact that they can hold their breath underwater for as long as four to seven hours while resting or sleeping. Turtles, just like other reptiles, have lungs, though they are somewhat different in structure than mammalian lungs but work as well when it comes to the exchange of gases as turtles need to breathe. Turtles can get more gas in their bodies because of water bubbles ingested in water as they absorb oxygen dissolved in water bodies. Turtles also need clean air to breathe. Turtles have somewhat more specialized needs like the water they live in must-have of proper quality in order for them to survive and should include an appropriate amount of dissolved oxygen for them to absorb. But turtles have lungs. When turtles go into hibernation, they rely on stored energy and uptake oxygen from the water by moving. This way, they are able to get enough oxygen to support their needs without having a need to use their lungs. A turtle can survive around 160 days without food! But they must have access to water during this period as well as a good amount of light. In water, they can rest on the surface of deep water, which is at the bottom of the ocean between some rocks. Green sea turtles even sleep under coral reefs. The maximum time which a turtle can stay outside water is about eight hours. However, this depends on the environment of the land they are on. If the surroundings have a cooler temperature, the turtle can even stay out of water for two days.How long can turtles stay underwater?It generally depends on a particular species, place, and temperature. Turtles of the icy temperate zones tend to hibernate throughout the winter without the need of breathing by coming to the surface and the box turtle tends to hibernate only on land. The Fitzroy River turtle, the Australian species of turtle does not come to the surface much and gets its oxygen from the water using cloaca. These animals can stay underwater for a long time also without coming to the surface to breathe air with the help of cloaca.Turtles have a different type of respiration process, they can breathe using their butts, and this type of breathing is called butt-breathing or in technical terms, it is called cloacal respiration. But it only happens when turtles are underwater. When turtles are on land, they resume their normal breathing. The normal time for the turtles to dive is around four to five minutes and then they again come to the surface to breathe. Though they are able to hold their breath for 45 minutes. They need to swim back to the ocean surface when they are active for very few minutes. When they are resting, they can remain underwater for as long as two hours without breathing and their heart rate slows significantly to conserve oxygen.How long do sea turtles live?Tortoises or sea turtles are among the most lived species of reptile family. Much larger species like sea turtles were deemed to live for 80 years. The giant tortoise, which is the largest land turtle, has a lifespan of 100 years. Some of them even had a lifespan of close to 200 years! Sea turtles live for a long time and some can live up to 50 years or more. They will have similar lifespans to humans when they become prey in large oceanic waters. Most marine turtles take decades to mature—between 20 and 30 years and remain actively reproductive for another 10 years.Other sea turtles species, leaving flatback sea turtles of Australia, are either under the critically endangered or endangered category of IUCN. Green turtles have multiple natural predators when they are in the water. Sea turtles become the prey of killer whales tiger sharks. Seabirds, raccoons, and dogs like to consume the sea turtle’s hatchlings or eggs. Sea turtles face multiple threats because of indiscriminating human planning. Beach development like constructing new homes, hotels, and resorts, decreases the natural habitat where a turtle can come and rest. Many human disturbances like light, loud noises, and trash around scare away the turtle. Even in few cases, these sea turtles tend to die from consuming trash which they usually confuse for food.How fast can turtles swim?The fastest speed of any reptile or turtle was found to be 22 mph (35.4 kph). Even on land, turtles travel quicker than tortoises. Tortoises in the genus Gopherus have been recorded moving at speeds ranging from 0.13-0.30 mph (0.21-0.48 kph).Usually, turtles swim at 1-6 mph (1.61-9.65 kph), but can even attain a swimming speed of 22 mph (35.4 kph) when frightened. Turtles have long flippers which help them to give power the bodies swim through water. Sea turtles can travel a lot of distance between their feeding and nesting areas. But some species are even known to have a swimming potential of up to 1900 mi (3057.75 km) and that too in just 23 days. The leatherback turtle, which is the largest turtle has a leathery shell.It may grow to be 4-8 ft (2.43 m) long and weigh 500-2,000 lb (226.79-907.18 kg), which is not terrible for a reptile that mostly feeds on jellyfish. Its quest for food can lead it below 4,000 ft (1219.2 m) underwater and it can easily travel 3,600 mi (5793.63 km). Turtles require a lot of water to survive, although they are not fully aquatic animals. Mostly, turtles prefer to live in water and tortoises on land. Not all turtles, however, require the same quantity of water. Whenever these nesting turtles go into hibernation, they just utilize the stored energy and take oxygen from the water, and avoid coming to the surface.Female sea turtles lay around 180 eggs each clutch, and the young turtles swim in the wide sea before returning to reef regions to eat. During the day, Kemp’s ridley lays eggs. Some animals may cover hundreds of miles or kilometers in a single day. The flatback sea turtle can only be found in Australian waters. Sea turtles can stay underwater for up to two hours without breathing. Turtles, being omnivores, will consume seaweed, mollusks, sponges, fish, worms, and other marine life. Leatherbacks, on the other hand, consume just jellyfish. Sea turtles are very slow swimmers and travel with a speed of 1.7-6.2 mph (2.73-10 kph) with slight variation among species. Leatherback sea turtles have a swimming speed of up to 22 mph (35.4 kph).Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for can sea turtles breathe underwater then why not take a look at why do turtles live so long or sea turtle facts?
Sea turtles are of order ‘Testudines’ characterized by a shell developed from their skeleton.
