Journal 3

Plenty of marine creatures have had to adapt to the ever-changing environment at the Matanzas River to Sea Preserve. One of those is the Sea Turtle. The Sea Turtle has had to make many adaptations in order to survive.

An adaptation that helps the Sea Turtle adapt to accommodate the environment is how they know the coast. As coastlines change, sea turtle have to find new places on their chosen beach to nest. Not only do sea turtles manage to come back to the same beach every time to lay their eggs but they can also tell how far back along the coast that they need to do it.

Sea turtles also had to adapt in order to secure their favorite food source. Sea turtles have a leathery lining on their throat that protects them from the sting of a jellyfish’s tentacles. Though sea turtles eat things other than jellyfish, that is their main food source so the lining is important.

Sea turtles even had to adapt in order to successfully reproduce. Because sea turtles leave their nests and return to the ocean, they have to find some way to protect their eggs. Female sea turtles will go onto land and dig a hole with their back flippers. Then they lay their eggs in the hole and fill it back up with sand. This hides the eggs from most predators and gives the eggs a better chance of surviving till it is time to hatch.

Sea turtles have found many ways to survive over the years and continue to thrive as the other marine creatures at the Matanzas River to Sea Preserve do.

Posted on October 31, 2015 03:36 AM by i3haylieshi