Sea turtles face many threats to their survival, both natural and man-made. They are at risk from being hit by cars on beaches, becoming disoriented by artificial lights near nesting sites, and having their nesting beaches made unusable by sea walls. Predators like raccoons can destroy a large percentage of nests on beaches. Sea turtles also ingest garbage mistaken as food which can be fatal, and some populations continue to be hunted for food or luxury items, driving certain species to endangered status.

1. Threats to Sea Turtles

2. Sea Turtles face many threats to their survival, many being man made, while others are more natural.

3. As you can see, my unfortunate friend here was run over by a car. As humans encroach more and more upon our territory, more and more of us die in this way.

4. We Sea Turtles use the reflection of the moon on the water to find our way back to the sea after laying eggs on the beach at night. Artificial lights on shore can make us go on shore and then we typically end up like the poor fellow from the previous slide.

5. Sea Walls, and other “ beach armoring”, prevent property damage. But they can make beaches useless for egg laying.

6. Predators are another huge threat to our survival. “ For example, raccoons have been known to destroy as much as 90% of all nests on a beach.” (Bennett, P., & Keuper-Bennett, U. 2011)

7. Humans create lots of garbage, and though it may look interesting and edible, as my friend in the picture below can attest: it is certainly not edible, and can be fatal if ingested (or attempted to be ingested).

8. “ In many coastal communities, especially in Central America and Asia, sea turtles have provided a source of food.” ( Threats to sea turtle survival 2011)

9. “ Hawksbill sea turtles, recognized for their Beautiful gold and brown shells, have been hunted for centuries to create jewelry and other luxury items. As a result, these turtles are now listed as critically endangered.” ( Threats to sea turtle survival 2011)