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Baby turtles are some of the cutest shelled animals on the planet. But did you know that they have teeth and they educate themselves? There are so many interesting turtle baby facts to learn, but here are our top five favorites!
#1: Baby Turtles Talk Before They Hatch
I’m sure the first thing that comes to mind when you think of young turtles isn’t how noisy they are. However, turtle babies are said to communicate well. They use these skills to work out a plan so that they can all come out and meet soon after.
About 11 percent of unhatched turtle babies can talk to each other through their shells. They do this to make their debut in the ocean together, which greatly increases their chance of survival. This is incredibly important because there are currently 7 types: sea turtles that are in danger of extinction and are threatened with extinction.
#2: Newborns lose their baby teeth
Baby turtles go through an incubation period, which usually lasts 2 to 3 months, depending on the temperature. The cooler the environment, the longer the incubation process takes. When the babies are finally ready to break free from their shell walls, they use a so-called egg-tooth on their beaks to break free.
Unlike humans, turtle hatchlings lose their egg tooth just an hour after it was used to help them escape.
#3: Tortoiseshell Boys Are Born Orphans
Most animals are born and have at least one parent who teaches them how to survive in the wild. When baby sea turtles are born, they have nothing but instincts and their environment to rely on. The odds are stacked against them, and unfortunately only about 1 in 1,100 fry will live to their adult years.
After using all the strength in their little bodies, boy rest and regain their energy. This makes it possible to make the long and extremely dangerous journey to sea.
#4: Baby Turtles Are Highly Affected by Temperature
Temperature plays a big part in a turtle’s life, even before they are born. While baby turtles are breeding, the temperature around them determines their sex. Baby turtles go through an incubation period, which usually lasts 2 to 3 months, depending on the temperature.
The warmer the Eggs are kept, the more likely the babies are female. If the eggs were laid in an environment with both cool and warm temperatures, the fry have an equal chance of being male or female.
#5: Turtle Hatchlings are among the oldest babies in the world
Did you know that turtles as a species are more than 230 million years old? This means they were wandering with the dinosaurs!
The ancestors of the turtles we see today didn’t have a single tooth that they would use to get out of their shells. They were born with a mouth full of teeth. While young were born with teeth, they were not always born with shells for protection. Fortunately, turtle hatchlings have a shell to protect them from predators.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How much do baby turtles weigh?
Did you know that some adult sea turtles weigh up to 2000 pounds? Those same turtles, the leatherback turtles, only weigh us when they first hatch from their eggs and go to the ocean. They are about 1 to 2 inches around when they hatch and become full grown adults at 10 to 15 years old.
What do baby turtles eat?
Most baby turtles have a diet that consists of a few different things depending on what type of turtle they are. The most common type tortoise, the omnivore, eats both vegetation and meat of insects and even fish.
Where do baby turtles live?
Baby turtles living in the sea are very difficult to track after they hatch and land in the water. There isn’t much data on where they spend their time, and most of the time they would be tagged and followed, but they are too small to tag and too expensive to track extensively. Land-dwelling baby turtles look for a home with calm waters so they can swim and rocks and sticks to bask on.
What are baby turtles called?
Baby turtles are called hatchlings and it’s no surprise that they get their name from their entry into this world. Adult turtles are called tortoises or simply tortoises, with the difference that turtles prefer to spend their time on land and bask in the sun while turtles and sea turtles like to live their lives in the water. If you’re a group of turtles together, you’d call that a creep, though turtles aren’t known for their social skills and prefer to be alone.
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