Sea Turtles: Which one did I see?

There are 7 species of sea turtles found in the world today. Three species can be found in the waters surrounding the Virgin Islands. Chances are when you are snorkeling around St. John, you are seeing a green turtle or a hawksbill sea turtle. St. Croix is lucky to be home to these two species as well as the leatherback turtle. By being able to identify different types of sea turtles I hope that we will develop a deeper connection to them. Sea turtles are in desperate need of our help for their survival. Follow three simple steps to reduce your impact on the turtles, 1.) say no to single use plastic bags, 2.) say no to plastic straws and 3.) use reefsafe sunscreen.

Sea Turtles of the US Virgin Islands poster found at HibiscusJazz.com.

Sea Turtle identification is fairly simple once you know what to look for. A lot of times the location of the turtle is enough to tell you which turtle you are looking at. Green turtles and hawksbill look very similar but are different in some distinct ways. Green turtles are the vegetarians among sea turtles so they are found where there is sea grass. Hawksbill feed on sea anemoni. A hawksbill turtle has a mouth shaped almost like the beak of a hawk hence the name hawksbill. The green turtle's mouth is flat. The shells are a little different although easily mistaken for one another. The shell of a green turtle and hawksbill are made up of shell plates called shutes. On a hawksbill turtle these scutes overlap while green turtles do not. Leatherback turtles do not have scutes. Their shell is soft or leathery. They are absolutely enormous so when you see one you will know it! Here is link to a wonderful diagram that can be very helpful.

Here is a link to some interesting data about   Sea Turtle Nesting in the US Virgin Islands. I hope that
this is helpful to everyone that has been or plans to go snorkeling in the Virgin Islands. Let me know what you think and as always love the turtles. In this fast paced world we live in take some time to be like them and slow down.