Lesson 6:Save Our Sea Turtles

Level: R
DRA: 40
Science
Strategy:
Question
Word Count: 814
5.2.6 Build Vocabulary
by Rachel W. Brookes
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books
1220380
H O UG H T O N MIF F L IN H ARCO URT
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by Rachel W. Brookes
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Newark American Pictures/The Bridgeman Art Library. 13 © Bettmann/CORBIS. 14 © Bob Daemmrich/The Image Works.
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An Amazing Discovery
Suppose you are walking along a beach in
Florida. The sun is setting. Suddenly, you see some
little animals crawling across the sand. At your feet,
dozens more are breaking out of their shells. What
are they?
Are they hermit crabs basking in the sun? No,
the tiny animals are baby sea turtles! They are
headed toward the ocean.
Sea turtles crawl
toward the sea
after hatching.
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Seeing juvenile turtles hatch is a rare event.
But don’t touch the turtles. The animals do not
need help getting out of their shells. The best
thing for you to do is watch quietly until the
turtles reach the water and swim away.
Would you like to know more about these
curious creatures? Come explore the fascinating
world of sea turtles!
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Loggerhead Turtles
The turtles described at the beginning of this
book were baby loggerheads. Adult loggerheads can
weigh more than 500 pounds, and the hard shells
on their backs can be up to 40 inches long! It takes
many years for baby loggerheads to grow that
large.
Adult loggerhead turtles
can weigh much more
than humans.
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Most sea turtles eat plants and
many kinds of fish, even jellyfish!
A Turtle’s Life
Animals that live in the ocean are called
marine animals. Sea turtles spend their whole lives
in the ocean after hatching from their eggs. Only
adult females ever come to shore. They need to
build nests and lay eggs on land.
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Sometimes you can see the path mother sea
turtles take from the water to their nests.
Someday you might see some baby sea turtles,
but you will not see their mother. In fact, even the
babies will probably never see her!
Once a female sea turtle is ready to lay eggs,
she swims to the beach. She uses her strong front
flippers to crawl up to dry sand. This is an ordeal.
She may look as if she is stunned. Her flippers are
shaped for swimming, not crawling.
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The mother turtle digs a nest into the sand.
Then she digs a small trench under the nest with
her back flippers. She lays up to 100 eggs. Each egg
is about the size of a Ping-Pong ball. Next, she
covers the nest with sand so that it is hidden.
Finally, she goes back to the ocean. Her work as a
mother is finished.
Sea Turtle Nest
Nest
Trench
Eggs
Sand
7
About two months later, the baby turtles begin
to break their shells and dig through the sand. It
can take them days to reach the top. Usually, the
turtles wait until dark to leave the nest. They don’t
want enemies chasing them.
The babies look for the bright light of the
moon shining on the ocean and begin crawling
toward it. Electric lights from nearby buildings can
confuse the baby turtles. They might go in the
wrong direction and die.
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NORTH
AMERICA
EUROPE
Atlantic
Ocean
AFRICA
SOUTH
AMERICA
Loggerhead sea turtles swim all over the
Atlantic Ocean.
Turtles on the Move
Sea turtles travel to find food. They are slow
on sand but can swim at 22 miles per hour!
The loggerhead babies will leave the waters of
Florida. Their calling is to swim near Europe,
Africa, and South America before they return to
their birthplace. Then the trip will begin again.
Each trip takes between two and three years!
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Turtles in Trouble
Today, sea turtles are in danger. They could
disappear from Earth unless we help save them. In
1986, more than 6,000 sea turtles had nests on a
Mexico beach. Several years later, there were only
50 nests.
Why are sea turtles disappearing? Scientists
analyzing the problem say the answer is humans.
People eat sea turtle eggs. Turtle shells, skins, and
meat are valuable in many parts of the world.
Between 1970 and 1990, Japan bought more than
half a million turtle shells.
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escape cover
grid
These metal bars let sea turtles escape but
keep shrimp in the net.
Fishing boats also kill sea turtles. Turtles get
tangled in the nets or hooked on fishing lines, and
they drown.
Some governments are trying to help. Since
1989, the United States has required shrimp boats
to use special nets that allow sea turtles to escape.
At first, many fishermen considered them costly
nuisances. However, this type of intensive effort
has been a big help.
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Trash that ends
up in the ocean
hurts sea turtles.
Every year, more beaches are used to build
hotels, restaurants, and homes. Turtles don’t have
enough safe places to build nests.
Pollution—human waste—also kills sea turtles.
Old plastic bags can be fatal to sea turtles. Turtles
think the bags are jellyfish. They eat them and
choke or get sick.
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Saving Sea Turtles
Luckily, many people want to save sea turtles.
Their interest often begins with an emotional
reaction. You might watch a TV program or read a
book about scientists treating an injured sea turtle.
If you do, learn as much as you can. Tell your
friends. The turtles need our help.
Sea turtles are so cute. How could
you not want to help them?
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Do your part
to save our
sea turtles!
There are many ways we can help sea turtles.
One is to keep beaches clean. If you live near sea
turtle nests, you could work with groups that help
protect the eggs.
You can help sea turtles no matter where you
live. Just tell other people about sea turtles. They
need all of our support!
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Responding
TARGET VOCABULARY Word Builder Make a
word web around the word fatal. What words do
you know that mean the opposite of fatal? Copy
this word web and add more words.
healthy
fatal
Write About It
Text to World Write a narrative paragraph that tells
about the adventures of a baby sea turtle as it makes
its way across the beach to the ocean. Begin the story
with a description or an action that gets the reader
interested.
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TARGET VOCABULARY
analyzing
juvenile
basking
marine
calling
ordeal
fatal
stunned
intensive
treating
TARGET STRATEGY Question Ask questions about
a selection before you read, as you read, and after
you read.
When a baby sea turtle breaks out of its shell,
its __________ has just begun.
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Level: R
DRA: 40
Science
Strategy:
Question
Word Count: 814
5.2.6 Build Vocabulary
by Rachel W. Brookes
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books
1220380
H O UG H T O N MIF F L IN H ARCO URT
5_253015_BL_VRSE_CVR_L06_TURTLES.indd 1
2/11/10 1:27:45 AM