A baby sea turtle hatches on the beach and then has to fight to make its way to the ocean. It moves along the sand, trying to reach the water. It takes some time because the waves often push the turtle back onto the beach, but the baby turtle doesn't give up! It keeps trying until it reaches the ocean.
The turtle then goes on to live its life in the ocean. Only the females return to the beach, once they are ready to lay their eggs.
A sea tutle's body is divided into two parts, the carapace (the top) and the plastron (the bottom). You mainly see the shell of the turtle which protects the turtle's body. The head portrudes out of the shell at the front end. A turtle also has four flippers that protrude from the sides of the shell. Baby sea turtles are smaller than the size of your fist, but they grow to be very large!
When I first saw the turtles I could not believe how small they were! They looked adorable moving around in the container they were in. They had recently hatched and were ready to reach to ocean. I was so excited to be able to hold one up close and release it into the ocean. My friends and I each all got a turtle to release, and we watched as the tiny turtles found their way to the ocean. I was so proud when my turtle reached the water!
