Endangered Sea Turtles Infographic

Did you know that, since dinosaur days, sea turtles have been living on earth? - 110 million years or so. Seven different species of sea turtles exist and six of them live in warm and cool waters—green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead, and olive-green. The seventh flatworm lives only in Australia.

Hundreds of thousands of turtles are accidentally captured every year around the world in shrimp traps, long-line hooks, and gill nets. Turtles need to come to the surface in order to survive, but if trapped, many turtles would drown.

Climate change is also affecting turtle nesting sites. They also face habitat destruction. The threat has become even more intractable as fishing activity has expanded. For examples, they are killed in order to get the eggs, meat, leather and shell.

Here are some interesting facts about sea turtles

• At least 120 million years old - the planet's oldest animals.

• only one out of 1,000 hatchlings survives to be an adult

• Green turtles can hold their breath underwater for as long as five hours.

• can grow to weigh as much as 900 kg

• Hotter temperatures produce more females while more males emerge from cooler temperatures.

• Turtles cry to empty excess salt from their eyes

• They live to around 100 years