reproducible for in-school use

The Lifecycle of a Sea Turtle

Pre-reading practice

sev - er- al several re-turn-ing returning

de - pend - ing depending in - clu - ding including
ad - ult - hood adulthood dis - tan - ces distances

species ocean journey group creatures ready world

Sea turtles lay their eggs in nests. A female sea turtle can lay up
to 100 ping pong ball shaped eggs in a nest that she digs with her
back flippers. Once she has laid her eggs, the mother turtle
covers them up before returning to the ocean. Eggs remain in the
nest for between 45 and 70 days, depending on the species.
sea turtle nest

When baby turtles hatch, they stay in their nest for

several days getting strong for their first journey. As a
group, they make their way to the beach and the
ocean. There are many creatures waiting to feast on
the baby turtles including crabs, birds and dingoes. Only
1 in 10 baby turtles survive until adulthood.
Hatchlings making their way to the ocean

After making it safely to the ocean, sea turtles spend

many years feeding and growing in warm waters. It
may take ten years or more before a turtle is ready to
have babies of their own. During this time, sea
turtles travel great distances including across the
world.

When sea turtles are ready to have babies of their own, A sea turtle's journey

they return to the beach where they were born to lay

their own eggs. It is not known how they find their way
back across such a vast distance.

Lifecycle of a sea turtle

Jocelyn Seamer Education, 2022
 reproducible for in-school use

The Lifecycle of a Sea Turtle

Sea turtles lay their eggs in nests. A female sea turtle can
lay up to 100 ping pong ball shaped eggs in a nest that
she digs with her back flippers. Once she has laid her
eggs, the mother turtle covers them up before returning to
the ocean. Eggs remain in the nest for between 45 and
70 days, depending on the species. sea turtle nest

When baby turtles hatch, they stay in their nest for

several days getting strong for their first journey. As a
group, they make their way to the beach and the
ocean. There are many creatures waiting to feast on
the baby turtles including crabs, birds and dingoes. Only
1 in 10 baby turtles survive until adulthood.
Hatchlings making their way to the ocean

After making it safely to the ocean, sea turtles spend

many years feeding and growing in warm waters. It
may take ten years or more before a turtle is ready to
have babies of their own. During this time, sea
turtles travel great distances including across the
world.
A sea turtle's journey

When sea turtles are ready to have babies of their own,

they return to the beach where they were born to lay
their own eggs. It is not known how they find their way
back across such a vast distance.

Lifecycle of a sea turtle

Jocelyn Seamer Education, 2022
 reproducible for in-school use

The Lifecycle of a Sea Turtle

Sea turtles lay eggs on the beach. Female

turtles can lay up to 100 eggs in a nest they
dig with their back fins. They put sand on the
eggs and then go back to the ocean. The
sea turtle nest
eggs take 45-70 days to hatch.

When the little turtles are born, they stay in

the nest for 2 or 3 days before going to the
beach to swim away. A lot of animals try to
eat the little turtles, so only a few live to be
Hatchlings making their way to the ocean
adults.

As adults, sea turtles spend years eating and

becoming adults. It may take them 10 years
or more to be ready to have babies of their
own.
A sea turtle's journey

When they are ready, they go back to the

beach where they were born to lay their own
eggs, but it is not known how they find their
way back to a spot that is so far away.
Lifecycle of a sea turtle

Jocelyn Seamer Education, 2022

 reproducible for in-school use
Plastics in the Ocean
Pre-reading practice

ex - treme - ly extremely en - vir - on - ment environment

hab - i - tats habitats de - com - pose decompose
de - stroy - ing destroying mi - cro - plas - tics microplastics
dan - ger - ous dangerous dis - card - ed discarded
al - ter - nat - ives alternatives bi - o - de - gra - da - ble biodegradable
in - ven - ted invented com - pan - ies companies

fragile balance break larger pieces creatures world caught deadly threat

Oceans are extremely fragile environments where everything is in

balance. Human waste poses a threat to the plants and animals
that live our oceans. This waste includes large amounts of plastic
that make its way from land to the ocean, killing animals and
destroying fragile habitats.
When plastic is thrown out instead of being recycled, it remains on
the Earth for a very long time. Unlike living things, human-made
plastics do not break down and return to the environment. Plastic
bags can take 20 years to decompose n the ocean. It can take up
to 450 years for a plastic water bottle and 600 years for fishing line
to break down. Larger pieces of plastic are broken up into very
small pieces, called microplastics. Microplastics, can can be
harmful to sea creatures and have been found in animals all over the
world.
Larger plastic objects can also be dangerous for ocean life. Fish and
birds may mistake plastic bags for food or get caught up in
discarded fishing nets or lines. The plastic rings used to hold
6-packs of cans are deadly for animals. Young turtles can get caught
in them and, as they grow, their shells become deformed. To avoid
this, companies are looking for alternatives to using these rings. A
factory in Mexico has invented a biodegradable can holder that
becomes fish food if it ends up in the ocean. Other companies now
use cardboard.
Plastics pose a serious threat to our oceans and the creatures that live there. It is important
for us to find different materials to use so that we can keep our oceans healthy and
beautiful.
Jocelyn Seamer Education, 2022
 reproducible for in-school use

Ocean Helpers
Pre-reading practice
ex - treme - ly extremely im - port - ant important
ac - tiv - it - ies activities con - ser - va - tion conservation
a - ware - ness awareness poll - u - tion pollution
en - cour - age encourage in - clu - ding including
hab - it -ats habitats com - pan - ies companies
dev - el - op develop re - cy - cling recycling
equ - ip - ment equipment

oceans threaten health deadly creatures removed

The oceans are extremely important to the health of the Earth.

Human activities cause many issues that threaten the health of the
oceans and the plants and animals that live there. However, there
are many people doing good work to help keep the oceans safe for
people and sea creatures.

The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) keeps watch

over the Great Barrier Reef and talks with government to encourage
them to protect the reef. Through their work, mining in the Great
Barrier Reef, which would have been deadly to wildlife, was banned.
They also work to raise awareness of water pollution.

Oceanwatch Australia has a number of projects including using old

oyster shells to make new habitats for sea creatures. In another
project, they are working with fishing companies to develop
equipment that will not harm whales if it gets lost overboard.
www.oceanwatch.org.au
The Seabin project involves using floating garbage bins to collect
rubbish from the ocean near marinas (docks). Water is pulled into
the bin. Rubbish is trapped but the water passes through holes in the
bottom of the bin. The rubbish can then be removed and recycled. So
far, seabins have removed three and a half million kilograms of
plastic from the ocean. www.seabinproject.com

Many people are doing their part to help the oceans. We can do our part too, by choosing
to not use single-use plastic and by recycling wherever we can.

Jocelyn Seamer Education, 2022