Sea turtle information resource, home of the Marine Turtle Newsletter and Noticiero de Tortugas Marinas. Males and females mate offshore, and females travel to nesting areas to lay their eggs. Seven different species of sea (or marine) turtles grace our ocean waters, from the shallow seagrass beds of the Indian Ocean, to the colorful reefs of the Coral Triangle, and even the sandy beaches of the Eastern Pacific. Sea turtles hatch from eggs on shore and then spend several years out at sea. Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. Sea turtle, any of seven species of marine turtles belonging to the families Dermochelyidae (leatherback sea turtles) and Cheloniidae (green turtles, flatback sea turtles, loggerhead sea turtles, hawksbills, and ridleys).

At this point, males and females migrate to breeding grounds, which are often near nesting areas. 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. It may take 5 to 35 years for them to become sexually mature, depending on the species. WWFs work on sea turtles focuses on five of those species: green, hawksbill, loggerhead, leatherback and olive ridley.

The leatherback travels an average of 3,700 miles each way. Sea turtles make incredibly long migrations between feeding and breeding areas. Both families are highly aquatic, and most species only …