Sea turtles are fascinating to most people. They stay mainly close to a coastline and like to live in bays and protected coves.
It is very rare to see one of these aquatic creatures out in the open ocean. The coastline, protected coves, and seagrass beds provide them with ample food and protection.
These creatures are a little mysterious and fascinating. Have you ever really wondered how big they grow?
Let’s try to find out a little more about them.
How Much Does A Sea Turtle Weigh?
The average sea turtle weighs between 240 and 1000+ pounds when fully grown.
The reason that there is such a wide weight range for the adult sea turtle is that there is more than one species of sea turtle and each species can grow to different sizes and weights.
Seven Species
Leatherbacks
These are the largest of all the marine turtles alive today. They typically weigh up to one ton! 2,000 pounds of the turtle! They grow to lengths of 6 to 9 feet and have leathery shells that are very protective.
They mostly eat soft-bodied invertebrates like jellyfish. They can eat their own weight in food daily.
Green
Green turtles have hard shells. They are a lot smaller than the leatherback variety. The green ones only weigh about 350 pounds when fully grown. They only grow to be about 3 feet in length.
When they first hatch, they are only about 2 inches in length and weigh just one-half of a pound.
This species eats seagrass and algae that grows on rocks.
Kemp’s Ridley
Often referred to as the smallest of the sea turtles these creatures usually reach weights of 75 to 100 pounds. Their full-grown length is about 2 feet.
This variety of sea turtles are carnivores and they eat crabs, mollusks and shrimp, and fish.
They are on the critically endangered list.
They are unique in the fact that they nest primarily during daylight hours.
Loggerheads
These creatures will top the scales at 200 to 400 pounds when they are adults. They grow to be about 4 feet long.
These guys eat crabs and conch when they are adults. When they are first born their diet is made up of plants like seagrass.
In the last ten years their population in Florida has reduced by 40%.
Hawksbills
On the small side, these beauties will reach up to 200 pounds when they are adults. They will grow to lengths of 2 to 3 feet.
These guys eat sponges. That is the only thing they like to eat. Some people call them spongivores because of their diet.
Hawksbills are critically endangered.
Olive Ridley
These shell dwellers are small like the Kemp’s variety and reach top weights of about 100 pounds. They grow to lengths of about 2 and one-half feet.
Their diet is rich in plants, shrimp, lobsters, crabs, fish, and algae. They are not picky eaters.
Flatback
As adults, these creatures weigh close to 200 pounds.
They are often the prey of saltwater crocodiles.
The diet they prefer includes sea cucumbers, soft corals, seaweed, jellyfish, mollusks, and crabs.
Did You Know?
- Flatbacks only lay about 50 eggs at a time, and other species can lay more than 300?
- These marine lifeforms are found in tropical waters all over the world
- Since the 1960s the population of the Olive Ridleys has been cut in half.
- Hawksbills nest 4 times per year and lay as many as 150 eggs in each nest?
FAQs
How Big is The Biggest Sea Turtle?
A leatherback is the largest sea turtle and it can weigh as much as 1000 pounds.
What Was The Biggest Sea Turtle to Ever Live?
The largest sea turtle to ever live would have been the Stupendemys geographics which reached weights of about 2,500 pounds.
How Long Do Sea Turtles Live?
The average sea turtle will live 50 years or more. It is not unheard of for them to live 100 years or more.
See Also:
1. How Much Does A Polar Bear Weigh?
2. How Much Do Giraffes Weigh?