File:Coast watch (1979) (20038982753).jpg

Title: Coast watch
Identifier: coastwatch00uncs_10 (find matches)
Year: 1979 (1970s)
Authors: UNC Sea Grant College Program
Subjects: Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology
Publisher: (Raleigh, N. C. : UNC Sea Grant College Program)
Contributing Library: State Library of North Carolina
Digitizing Sponsor: North Carolina Digital Heritage Center

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Lelics of ages past, turtles look like scaled-down dinosaurs carrying mobile homes on their backs. Their body structures are unique in the animal kingdom — there's no mistaking a turtle for any other creature. But telling one species of turtle apart from another is a little more challenging. Below are distinguishing features of the five sea turtle species that can appear in North Carolina waters.* Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) • light to dark brown carapace with mottled, streaked or sunburst patterns • heart-shaped shell • small, rounded head • two oblong scales between the eyes • serrated jaws • over-the-curve carapace length: 36-48 inches • 250-450 pounds • status: breeding populations in Florida and on the Pacific coast of Mexico are listed as endangered; all other populations are listed as threatened Which Turtle Is It? Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) • elongated yellowish-brown streaked carapace with deeply serrated margins • overlapping scales on carapace and plastron (the undershell) • hawklike beak • over-the-curve carapace length: 30-35 inches • 95-165 pounds • status: endangered worldwide — extremely rare in North Carolina Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempi) • dull olive-gray carapace, round in shape with a low profile • slender head • scales covering the bridge connecting the carapace to the plastron are perforated by a single tiny pore • over-the-curve carapace length: 23-27 inches • 80-100 pounds • status: endangered worldwide Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) • slender gray-black or blue-black scaleless carapace with seven distinct longitudinal ridges • upper jaw has two toothlike projections • no claws • over-the-curve carapace length: 54-70 inches • 650-2,000 pounds • status: endangered worldwide Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) • heart-shaped, reddish-brown carapace • large head relative to the body • over-the-curve carapace length: 31-45 inches • 170-350 pounds • status: threatened worldwide — most abundant species in North Carolina • Size ranges for all species listed represent maximum adult sizes. Juveniles will be smaller. □ Daun Daemon
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