Learning express fake jellyfish tank
When it comes to reproduction, they’re some of the most versatile creatures on the planet. Not surprisingly, given their diverse evolutionary history, jellies exhibit a fantastic range of shapes, sizes, and behaviors. Learn more about sea turtle migration.Please be respectful of copyright. The leatherback has been tracked crossing the entire Pacific Ocean from Asia to the US West coast to forage on swarms of jellyfish off the coasts. Some sea turtles undertake impressive migrations to find food. They are also particular about the types of sponges they eat which gives rare sponges an opportunity to grow creating greater diversity on the reef. Sponges contain spicules (glass-like spines) and toxins which the hawksbills immune to, making less competition for this food source. The seagrass Thalassia testudinum is commonly known as "turtle grass" because in some areas like the Caribbean, green sea turtles eat it almost exclusively. Without them eating algae, corals can be overgrown and die from the algae which out-competes them.īecause leatherbacks primarily eat jellyfish, they are attracted to plastic bags which resemble jellies when floating in the water. Herbivores like the green sea turtle are important for maintaining the health of coral reefs. Hatchlings eat a variety of prey items including things like pelagic molluscs & crustaceans (like larval crabs), hydrozoans (related to jellies and corals such as Portuguese Man-O-War), fish eggs, seaweed, and jellies. Green hatchlings, unlike the herbivore adult, also eat a variety of prey as young turtles.
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The diet of hatchlings varies from that of adults. They also have sharp, downward curving spines called papillae in their mouth and throat which help move prey to their stomach.
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Sea turtle mouths and jaws are also shaped differently depending on their particular diet. Greens sea turtles have a beak with finely serrated edges, like the teeth of a saw, which enable them to tear seagrasses and scrape algae off of hard surfaces. Loggerheads have strong, massive jaws which enable them to crush hard-shelled prey like conchs and whelks. Leatherbacks have sharp, pointed cusps on their jaws which enable them to pierce and hold onto jellyfish. It's preferred prey though is crab.įlatback: An omnivore that consumes sea cucumbers, jellies, soft corals, shrimp, crabs, molluscs, fish, and seaweed. Kemp's ridley: A carnivore that eats crabs, fish, jellies, shrimp, and a variety of molluscs. Olive ridley: An omnivore, these turtles eat a variety of animals and plants including crabs, shrimp, lobster, urchins, jellies, algae, and fish. The hawksbill has a sharp, narrow "bird-like" beak that allows them to reach within crevices on the reef. Hawksbill: Often referred to as spongivores because of their specialized diet which consists almost exclusively of sponges. Loggerheads have a massive head and strong jaws which enable them to crush hard-shelled prey. Hatchlings are omnivores, eating both plant and animal material. Loggerhead: Adults are carnivores, eating crabs, conchs, whelks, and horseshoe crabs. They have 2 sharply pointed cusps, one on the upper and one on the lower jaw that allows them to pierce jellies and other soft-bodied organisms. Leatherback: Sometimes referred to as gelatinivores (eating gelatinous prey) because their diet consists exclusively of jellies and other soft-bodied invertebrates like tunicates and sea squirts.
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Greens have a finely serrated (sawlike) beak that allows them to scrape algae off rocks and tear grasses and seaweeds. Their diet consists primarily of algae, seagrasses, and seaweed. Green: Adults are referred to as herbivores although as hatchlings they are omnivores.
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Hawksbills for example, are mainly found on and around coral reefs where their main prey sponges are found. Greens forage among seagrass beds and nearshore habitats, and leatherbacks, which are deep divers, are found in pelagic (open ocean) environments where they feed exclusively on jellyfish and other soft-bodied invertebrates that float in the water column. Some are omnivores, eating a variety of plants and animals, while the hawksbill and the leatherback are specialists, subsisting primarily of sponges (hawksbills) and jellyfish (leatherbacks). What a sea turtle eats depends upon the species.