Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
sea turtle
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
hawksbill sea turtle Illustration of a green turtle (Chelonia mydas) showing its brown patterned shell, flippers, and head, with a scale bar above indicating a length of 30 centimeters or 12 inches. Leatherback sea turtle
Fascinating facts about turtles
loggerhead sea turtle green turtle
Struggles of the endangered green sea turtle
Unique lives of parrot fish and hawksbill turtles
Watch green sea turtles hatch from eggs and head to the ocean to avoid predators
Visit the wondrous Bundaberg in Queensland, Australia, and its vicinity to explore the Mon Repos, Lady Elliott Island, and Cania Gorge National Park
Quizzes
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters
Animal Group Names
Lion (panthera leo)
Deadliest Animals Quiz
Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)
Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz
Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)
Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz
The bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is seen in Switzerland on December 2024
Animal Factoids
Related Questions
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
hawksbill sea turtle
hawksbill sea turtle Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata).

sea turtle

reptile
Also known as: marine turtle
Written by
George R. Zug
Curator Emeritus, Division of Amphibians and Reptiles, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
George R. Zug
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

sea turtle, any of seven species of marine turtles belonging to the families Dermochelyidae (leatherback sea turtles) and Cheloniidae (green turtles, flatback sea turtles, loggerhead sea turtles, hawksbills, and ridleys). Both families are highly aquatic, and most species only appear on coastal beaches for egg laying; however, the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) occasionally basks in terrestrial environments. Adult sea turtles are mainly denizens of tropical and subtropical seas, but the juveniles of both families occur...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content
Explore Subscriptions
DNA
Right
Mobile