ALL ABOUT TURTLES
CLEARWATER MARINE AQUARIUM
SEA
TURTLES
TURTLES
Shell-ebrate the ocean’s ancient travelers
Sea turtles have been swimming Earth’s oceans for over 100 million years — since the age of dinosaurs. Meet the five species that call Florida home.
CLEARWATER MARINE AQUARIUM • FLORIDA
01Sea TurtlesIntro • 36″×84″
SPECIES
MEET THE
FIVE
FIVE
LOGGERHEAD
Most common • Powerful jaws crush shells
GREEN
Only vegetarian • Eats seagrass
LEATHERBACK
Biggest! 6+ feet • No hard shell
HAWKSBILL
Pointy beak • Eats sponges off coral
KEMP’S RIDLEY
Rarest & smallest • Loves crabs
All five species are threatened or endangered
CLEARWATER MARINE AQUARIUM
1.1
02Meet the FiveMontera • 23″×84″
SPECIES SPOTLIGHT
LOGGERHEAD
350 lbs
AVERAGE ADULT WEIGHT
DID YOU KNOW?
Their jaws are strong enough to crush a conch shell! Florida hosts 90% of all loggerhead nests in the Atlantic.
NOAA FISHERIES
1.2
03LoggerheadMontera • 23″×84″
SPECIES SPOTLIGHT
GREEN
TURTLE
TURTLE
🌿 LAWNMOWER OF THE SEA 🌿
THE ONLY VEGETARIAN SEA TURTLE
WHY “GREEN”?
Not because of their shell — it’s the green-colored fat under their shell, from all the seagrass they eat!
FWC SEA TURTLE PROGRAM
1.3
04Green TurtleMontera • 23″×84″
SPECIES SPOTLIGHT
LEATHER-
BACK
BACK
Bigger than a refrigerator!
YOU
4 ft
4 ft
LEATHERBACK
6+ ft
6+ ft
2,000 lbs
MAXIMUM WEIGHT
RECORD BREAKERS
Dives to 4,000 feet deep. Swims 10,000 miles a year. Eats its body weight in jellyfish daily. The only turtle with no hard shell!
NOAA FISHERIES
1.4
05LeatherbackMontera • 23″×84″
DIET
WHAT’S FOR
DINNER?
DINNER?
Loggerhead
➡
🦀
Crabs & clams
Green
➡
🌿
Seagrass
Leatherback
➡
🪼
Jellyfish
Hawksbill
➡
🧽
Sponges
Kemp’s ridley
➡
🦀
Crabs too!
PLASTIC PROBLEM
Turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish. Over half of all sea turtles have eaten plastic. Skip the bag!
CMA EDUCATION PROGRAM
1.5
06What's for Dinner?Montera • 23″×84″
TURTLE LIFE
PART TWO
TURTLE
LIFE
LIFE
From nest to sea and back again
A sea turtle’s life is an incredible journey. Born on a sandy beach, they spend decades crossing oceans before returning to the very same beach to lay their own eggs.
SECTION TWO
07Turtle LifeIntro • 36″×84″
NESTING
MOON,
SAND, EGGS
SAND, EGGS
On summer nights, mama turtles crawl onto the beach, dig a nest with their back flippers, and lay about 100 eggs.
45–60 days
UNTIL THE EGGS HATCH
AMAZING!
Mama turtle returns to the exact same beach where she was born — even 30 years later!
FWC NESTING DATA
2.1
08Moon, Sand, EggsMontera • 23″×84″
SCIENCE
HOT CHICKS,
COOL DUDES
COOL DUDES
The temperature of the sand decides whether baby turtles will be boys or girls. Scientists say: “hot chicks, cool dudes!”
SWOT / SEA TURTLE STATUS
2.2
09Hot Chicks, Cool DudesMontera • 23″×84″
MIGRATION
OCEAN
TRAVELERS
TRAVELERS
10,000 miles/year
LEATHERBACK MIGRATION
Sea turtles use Earth’s magnetic field like a built-in compass to navigate across entire oceans!
NOAA SEA TURTLE TRACKING
2.3
10Ocean TravelersMontera • 23″×84″
RESCUE
PART THREE
RESCUE
Rescue • Rehab • Release
Clearwater Marine Aquarium isn’t just an aquarium — it’s a working animal hospital. Since 2010, the team has rescued over 1,600 sea turtles.
1,600+
TURTLES RESCUED
850+
ANIMALS RELEASED
SECTION THREE
11RescueIntro • 36″×84″
HOSPITAL
TURTLE
E.R.
E.R.
FOUND! Someone spots a sick or hurt turtle and calls CMA’s rescue hotline.
▼
RESCUED The team rushes out to bring the turtle to safety.
▼
CHECK-UP Vets take X-rays, run bloodwork, and make a care plan.
▼
TREATMENT Medicine, surgery, rest, and lots of fish dinners.
▼
RELEASED! Back to the ocean where they belong!
CMA VETERINARY TEAM
3.1
12Turtle E.R.Montera • 23″×84″
YOU CAN HELP
PART FOUR
YOU CAN
HELP
HELP
Small actions make big waves
Every sea turtle needs our help. Here are simple things YOU can do to protect these ancient ocean travelers.
SECTION FOUR
13You Can HelpIntro • 36″×84″
CONSERVATION
BE A TURTLE
HERO!
HERO!
Skip the strawTurtles mistake plastic for food
Lights out at the beachBaby turtles follow light to the sea
Clean up the beachEvery piece of trash you pick up helps
Fill in sand holesTurtles can fall in and get stuck
Spread the word!Tell your friends about sea turtles
CMA CONSERVATION PROGRAM
4.1
14Be a Turtle Hero!Montera • 23″×84″
BACKDROPS
CLEARWATER MARINE AQUARIUM
UNDER
THE
WAVES
THE
WAVES
A world of color, coral, and ancient travelers
Beneath Florida’s sparkling waters, sea turtles glide through coral gardens alongside thousands of ocean creatures. This is their home. Let’s keep it beautiful.
15Underwater WorldBackdrop • 120″×89″
NESTING SEASON • MAY–OCTOBER
RACE
TO THE
SEA
TO THE
SEA
Only 1 in 1,000 will survive to grow up
Under the cover of darkness, tiny hatchlings break free from their eggs and scramble toward the moonlit ocean. The light on the water guides them home.
16Nesting BeachBackdrop • 120″×89″
PHOTO PANELS
SPECIES
LOGGERHEAD
350 lbs
POWERFUL JAWS CRUSH CONCH SHELLS
Florida hosts 90% of all loggerhead nests in the North Atlantic
PHOTO: NATIONAL AQUARIUM / PUBLIC DOMAIN
P1Loggerhead PortraitMontera • 23″×84″
SPECIES
GREEN
TURTLE
TURTLE
🌿 Lawnmower of the Sea 🌿
The only vegetarian sea turtle — named for the green fat under its shell, not its color!
PHOTO: BERNARD SPRAGG / CC0 PUBLIC DOMAIN
P2Green GrazerMontera • 23″×84″
SPECIES
LEATHER-
BACK
BACK
2,000 lbs
Bigger than a refrigerator
The only turtle with no hard shell. Dives 4,000 feet deep. Swims 10,000 miles a year.
PHOTO: CLAUDIA LOMBARD / USFWS / PUBLIC DOMAIN
P3Leatherback GiantMontera • 23″×84″
SPECIES
HAWKSBILL
Critically Endangered
Their pointy beak reaches into coral crevices to eat sponges. They keep coral reefs healthy!
PHOTO: LEGIS / BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS / PUBLIC DOMAIN
P4Hawksbill ReefMontera • 23″×84″
SPECIES
KEMP’S
RIDLEY
RIDLEY
The Rarest Sea Turtle on Earth
The smallest species — just 2 feet long. Loves crabs! Most common cold-stun rescue at CMA.
PHOTO: YINAN CHEN / PUBLIC DOMAIN
P5Kemp's RidleyMontera • 23″×84″
NESTING
NIGHT
NEST
NEST
~100 eggs
Laid by moonlight in a sandy nest
She returns to the very same beach where she was born — even 30 years later.
PHOTO: SARAH DAWSEY / USFWS / PUBLIC DOMAIN
P6Night NestMontera • 23″×84″
HATCHLINGS
RACE FOR
LIFE
LIFE
1 in 1,000
Will survive to adulthood
They follow the moonlight reflecting on the water. That’s why beach lights can be deadly — they lead hatchlings the wrong way.
PHOTO: USFWS / BACK BAY NWR, VIRGINIA / PUBLIC DOMAIN
P7Race for LifeMontera • 23″×84″
RESCUE
BACK TO
THE SEA
THE SEA
850+
Animals released back to the wild
Rescue. Rehab. Release. Every turtle that swims free is a victory for the ocean.
PHOTO: NPS / CAPE HATTERAS NATIONAL SEASHORE / PUBLIC DOMAIN
P8Back to the SeaMontera • 23″×84″