“SOS!”

Your Mission

“Seas” the day—help a turtle!

When a ship at sea is in trouble it sends a radio signal for help. That signal is called an SOS. If sea turtles could signal to people, they might send an SOS too. Sea turtles have been on Earth since the age of dinosaurs! For thousands of years they have withstood natural losses to their populations. But increasing threats from people are taking a toll. Today all species of sea turtles are endangered or threatened, and at risk of becoming extinct.

Turtle Woes

It’s not easy being a sea turtle! A female sea turtle may swim thousands of miles (kilometers) to lay her eggs on a beach. Then she crawls back to the ocean, leaving the eggs buried in a sandy nest. Sometimes people steal the eggs to eat. When the baby turtles, called hatchlings, break out of their shells, they need to get to the ocean for safety. But if they become confused and head toward lights on a boardwalk or a hotel, they’ll be too tired to reach the ocean.

Adult turtles face threats too. They get tangled in fishing nets, or eat plastic that someone threw away. (Plastic looks like jellyfish, one of the sea turtle’s favorite foods). But there are things people can do to help sea turtles survive!

Playing Favorites

There are many different kinds of sea turtles around the world—see for yourself at the Euro Turtle Web site (http://www.exeter.ac.uk/telematics/EuroTurtle/outline.htm). Can you pick a favorite? Write its name on an index card. Then find out more about “your” turtle so you can tell your classmates about it. You can also find information at the Scholastic Web site (http://teacher.scholastic.com/turtles/story/index.htm).

Just the Facts

Use the index card to write facts about your sea turtle:

Look at a map of your turtle’s range. Name one continent where your sea turtle might lay its eggs.

Name one thing your turtle likes to eat.

Name something about the type of environment your turtle likes (for example, green sea turtles like warm oceans).

List four threats to your turtle’s survival (list two natural threats and two that result from people).

Drawing Conclusions

Draw a picture of your favorite sea turtle and cut it out. (Draw the other side too.)

Draw two pictures of natural predators of your sea turtle and cut them out. Draw two pictures of human-caused threats to your sea turtle, and cut them out.

Using yarn, hang all four predators from your sea turtle.

Heed the Call

Answer your turtle’s SOS!

The National Wildlife Federation suggests ways to help save sea turtles at http://www.nwf.org/nwf/wildalive/seaturtle/.

If you live near an ocean, you might want to stencil a storm drain. Ask your teacher how to do this project.

Activity adapted from the Houghton Mifflin Education Place Web site at http://www.eduplace.com/index.html.

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