sea turtle discovery...green sea turtles get their name because as adults they love to eat green...

www.oceanconnectors.org

SEA TURTLE DISCOVERYUse your imagination to take yourself on a virtual field trip with Ocean Connectors!

On our drive into the SweetwaterMarsh National Wildlife Refuge thismorning, take a look outside thebus windows.

A Wildlife Refuge is a protectedplace for plants and animals,managed by the U.S. Fish & WildlifeService.

Notice how high the tide is rightnow. It is almost right up to the sideof the road!

We can see the saltwater flowinginto the wetland from the ocean.We will talk more about this laterso for now just take a close look.

What else do you notice about thisarea?

We’ve arrived at the entrance.Welcome to Living Coast DiscoveryCenter!

We will be learning about manydifferent types of native animals onthis field trip, including sea turtles,so get your journal out and beready to take some notes.


Remember “Finding Nemo” themovie? Draw Nemo or Dory in yourjournal. Dory is a blue tang andNemo is a clownfish. Both of thesefish are saltwater fishes that livearound coral reefs.

A coral is actually a small livinganimal that creates a hard shell.The beautiful colors we see comefrom microscopic algae that growon the coral.

We are going to start by visitingthe turtle lagoon. We will practiceour observation skills here like areal scientist.

What does it mean to makeobservations?

How can observing something behelpful to scientists?

Write your answers down.

How many sea turtles do you seehere? What kind of sea turtles doyou think they are?

Take a close look at this turtle andmake some observations of yourown. Describe it and write downany questions you may have aboutsea turtles.


These are green sea turtles, one of7 species of sea turtles in the world.All 7 species are threatened orendangered.

Do you remember the names of all7 sea turtle species? If not, take alook back through your notes.

Green sea turtles get their namebecause as adults they love to eatgreen things like sea grasses andalgae. They eat so much greenstuff that the fat inside their bodyturns green!

Each type of sea turtle has afavorite food. Some sea turtleslove to eat fish, sea jellies, andshellfish.

Plastic can be a big problem for seaturtles. Look how a plastic bag(right) looks like a sea jelly (left).Sea turtles can’t tell the differenceand eating plastic can kill them.

There is a simple solution for this.Just try to use less plastic. Cut downon plastic bags, bottles, andutensils. It’s that simple!


Plastic isn’t the only problem forsea turtles. Turtles are affected byother types of pollution as well.

Sea turtles can get caught inabandoned fishing nets, called“ghost nets”. Fishing nets can hurtturtles or prevent them frombeing able to swim to the surfacefor air, causing them to drown.

How do you think using reusableshopping bags, instead of single-use plastic bags, can help save seaturtles?

What other types of reusableitems can we use?

Write down a pledge to use less ofone type of plastic.


The compost garden is a greatarea to learn how to make yourown garden at home. Compost ismade of natural materials (applecores, orange peels, yardclippings) as they decay to createnutritious food for plants. This isan example of food recycling.

Bins of compost-in-the-makingdecay in large containers withheat from the sun and specialbacteria.

Next we are going inside the sharkand ray exhibit. We may be able totouch some of the animals in thisarea, so there are some veryimportant rules.

Any time we touch an animal weneed to use a gentle two-fingertouch, so that we don’t harm orstartle the animal. Avoid touchinganywhere near their eyes. Nevertry to touch animals in the wild.There are many different speciesof sharks, rays, and skates in theworld.

These are all types of“cartilaginous” fishes, whichmeans their skeleton is made ofcartilage instead of bone. Touchyour ear or nose. That is cartilagetoo!


After rinsing your hands off withwater, reach in and try to touchthat bat ray! But wait! Can’t somerays sting you?

The rays in this exhibit have hadtheir stinging barb removed. Don’tworry, it doesn’t harm them. Tapon your fingernails. Our nails andhair are made of keratin, the samematerial stingray barbs are madeof. Removing the barbs is likegetting your nails clipped or gettinga haircut.

It is always good to be a littlecareful when you are at the beach.Look at how easily these stingraysblend into the sand. That’s called“camouflage”. If you don’t see a ray,you might accidentally step on itand get struck by its barb.

Practice the “stingray shuffle” at thebeach; shuffle your feet through thesand to startle any animals thatmay be resting there, instead ofstomping your feet through thewater.These are empty horn shark eggcases! Notice how they have aspiral shape. This shape lets thesharks wedge their eggs into rockycrevices to keep them safe andhidden from predators.

Describe what they look like inyour notes.


Can you spot the differencebetween these two animals?

The one on the left is called a skateand the one on the right is a ray.What differences do you notice?

Skates have stocky tails without astinging barb, and usually with twosmall fins on top.

Now that we’ve had an opportunityto touch and see these cool crittersup-close, let’s continue to learnmore about sharks and sea turtles.

Many people misunderstandsharks. Sharks shouldn’t be fearedbecause they are an important partof the ecosystem, helping to keepoceans in balance by scavenging onsick and dying prey.

Take a close look at this leopardshark, and sketch it in your journal.Don’t forget the gills on the sides ofits head.

Why do you think leopard sharkshave spots?


Sharks, rays, and skates looksimilar, but their bodies areshaped differently and they alsobreathe differently.

Sharks swim forward and pumptheir mouth so water enters, andthe dissolved oxygen in the wateris absorbed through their gills,giving them the oxygen they needto survive. Rays and skates alsobreathe dissolved oxygen, but theyhave gills on their underbelliesand holes above their eyes called“spiracles”. The water entersthrough their spiracles and exitsthrough their gills.

Take a look at this exhibit. The topjaw is from an actual shark. Noticehow their teeth are sharp andhooked for biting and tearing prey.

See that smaller piece below theshark jaw? Can you guess what itmight be?

Believe it or not, those are rayteeth! Notice how flat their teethare, like our molars. This shape isperfect for crushing and grindingtheir prey, small invertebratesthat live on the ocean floor.

Take your hands and put theminto fists. Now rub the flat part ofyour knuckles together. This ishow stingrays chew their food!


Here is what a horn shark (on theleft) looks like compared to aleopard shark (right). Horn sharksget their name because they havetwo horns or barbs sticking out oftheir “dorsal” (top) fins. This is adefense mechanism that helpsprotect them from predators.

This sea turtle is named Sapphire.Can you guess what type of seaturtle she is? Her large headshould give you a clue!

She is a loggerhead sea turtle.

See the shark in the background?Don’t worry, leopard sharks eatsmall prey and won’t hurtSapphire or these fish.


Sapphire can sometimes look alittle strange when she swims,which is part of her story.She was hit by a boat near the stateof Florida, which damaged her“carapace”, or top shell. It’simportant for boats to go slow andto be on the lookout for turtles.

Take a deep breath in! Sea turtleshave lungs and breathe air just likeus, and they need to be able toexhale the air in order to dive downto find food. When Sapphire was hitby the boat, it damaged her abilityto do this, so now she has smallweights attached to her shell tohelp her dive down in the water.You may see her floating “bottomsup”, but don’t worry, many talentedveterinarians were able to nurseSapphire back to health, and nowshe has a forever home.

Time to rinse our hands, which isan important step any time youtouch an animal. Let’s go outsideand take a seat on the benches andtake a look at the beautiful view.

Think about what types of animalsmight live in this habitat.


This habitat is called a wetland.Wetlands are areas of land that arewet part of the time. They can havesaltwater, freshwater, or a mix ofboth.

Remember what we saw in thebeginning? The water level was upreally high! That was called “hightide”. Now look! There is only alittle bit of water here, because it’s“low tide”.

Out this way you can see San DiegoBay. The tides flow in and out fromSan Diego Bay. The mouth of theBay connects to the ocean.

Do you think there could beanything bad that the tide bringsout to the ocean?

Trash and pollution from ourstreets get washed into wetlandslike this and then swept out to sea.

Throwing away your trash into thecorrect bins can help save animals.Here, the blue bin is for recycling.Cans, plastic bottles, and glass cango in the blue bin. The black bin isfor trash that can’t be recyclednormally, like Styrofoam, plasticfilm, and wrappers. The small bin inthe middle is for compost.Remember, compost is a form ofrecycling that turns leftover fooditems like banana peels, applecores, egg shells, and bread crustinto healthy soil for plants.


It’s time for us to see the birds!

You will learn a lot more aboutbirds in 6th grade with OceanConnectors, but for now let’s gosee some awesome bird species.

Which parts of a bird’s body giveus clues to what they eat? Theirbeak and feet.

Be really quiet for this first bird.This is a burrowing owl. When theyget startled they hide in holesunderground.

They can dig their own holes ifneeded, but usually they stealleftover homes from otherburrowing animals, like snakes!

Owls have fixed eyes and extrabones in their neck to turn theirheads far and look around. We’lllearn more about raptors soon.

Next up is the roadrunner. Theyget their name because they arenot very good at flying and preferto run on the ground!.

They can reach speeds up to 20miles per hour. Remember thecartoon with the roadrunner andthe coyote? In the wild, a coyoteactually can run up to twice as fastas a roadrunner!


Read these signs and write down afew notes in your journal.

What are two plants you can findin a wetland?

Read this sign to find out howLiving Coast is helping to saverails, an endangered bird speciesthat lives in wetlands in SouthernCalifornia and Mexico. Thisspecies used to be called theclapper rail but its name has beenrecently changed to Ridgway’s rail.

We have just entered the shorebirdaviary. Many of the birds here wereinjured in the wild, rescued, andthen brought to Living Coast.

This bird is called a black-crownednight heron, and you can tell by itssharp, spear-like beak that it eatsfish.


That beautiful white bird overthere is called a snowy egret. Thetwo most common egrets we see inSan Diego are the snowy egret andthe great egret. The great egret ismuch bigger than the snowy egretwe see here.

The snowy egret has a specialadaptation for luring in its prey.They shake their yellow toes totrick fish into thinking they areworms. As the fish swim up – theegret attacks for an instant lunch!

This is a mallard duck. Thefemales are mostly brown and themales have brighter colors likegreen and blue.

Is this mallard male or female?

This bird is called anoystercatcher. You can tell a lotabout what type of food a bird eatsby looking at its beak. Theoystercatcher uses its longstraight beak to pry open shellfish.


This ruddy duck has a blue beak,which means it must be male. Onlythe males have blue beaks andtheir coloration changes with theseasons!

Around summer, they havebrownish-red feathers and brightblue beaks (seen here). In winter,their feathers turn gray-brownand their beaks turn gray.

Next, let’s see the birds of prey!

Look, there’s a bad eagle straightahead! The bald eagle is a U.S.national symbol and can be seen onsome of our currency.

Next to it is a golden eagle, which isa national symbol of Mexico andappears on the Mexican flag.

Birds of prey are also calledraptors, and they have threethings in common. Write this nextsentence down in your journal.

All raptors have strong vision,sharp talons, and hooked beaks.


Take a look at these signs and writedown at least one fact for each.

Raptors have amazing vision. Theycan see about 8 times better thanwe can. That would be like standingat one end of a football field, andbeing able to read a newspaper thatis on the other end!

Raptors have sharp, curved talonsthat allow them to grab their preyoff the ground and latch on tightso they don’t drop their food asthey fly away.

Raptors have hooked beaks that aregreat for tearing flesh and eatingmeat and fish. Their beaks aresharp and good for ripping thingsapart.

Notice how much of their skull istaken up by the eyes. This isbecause their eyes are very largeand need more room in their skull.Let’s take a look at a few more ofthe raptors that live here at LivingCoast.

This is a red-tailed hawk. Red-tailed hawks are often seen slowlysoaring in wide circles high overgrassy fields. The red color in theirtail is a good way to recognize onein the wild.


Here is the peregrine falcon, thefastest bird in the world. They canreach speeds up to 200 miles perhour! They are tough predatorsand eat other birds as well assmall mammals and rodents.

Falcons are found on everycontinent except for Antarctica.

What’s this? An animal encounter!

These “animal ambassadors” arespecially trained to be shown to thepublic for education about theirspecies.

The American kestrel is thesmallest falcon in North Americaand the second smallest in theworld. They are small but fiercepredators, hunting prey like mice,lizards, and snakes. Sometimes wesee them in the surroundingwetland habitat.


Take a moment to draw a picture ofone of the animals you have justseen.

Now let’s go inside and see whatother animals we can find!

As you walk around the exhibits,read about the species you see andtry to write down 10 facts in yourjournal. You can write one fact foreach animal or multiple for a fewspecies of your choice.

These animals are moon jellies.They pulse their “bells” in and outin order to move through oceancurrents. They have no eyes orbrain, and their bodies are madeup of 97% water!


Some of the animals we’re seeingtoday don’t live near the ocean, butthey are still cool to look at.

This is a blue-tongued skink. Itslarge, blue tongue is used to scareaway predators. It has sharp jawsto help crush insects, beetles, andsnails.

This “invertebrate” (which meansno backbone) is called a brittle star.

They have 5 long arms to help themmove around, and they don’t haveany tube feet (suction cups) likeother sea stars. They can come inmany different colors.

These are moray eels, a type of fish.They are shy animals and like tohide in rock crevices. They arenocturnal which means they sleepduring the day and are awake atnight. Moray eels have a greatsense of smell.

Don’t confuse them with electriceels; moray eels cannot shock!They are harmless unlesssomething reaches inside theircave.


This is a desert tortoise. What arethe differences between tortoisesand sea turtles?

A tortoise lives on land while a seaturtle lives in the ocean. Tortoisescan also hide inside their shellswhile sea turtles cannot. Tortoiseshave stocky feet and claws to helpthem dig in the ground, and seaturtles have flippers for swimming.

Did you know a desert tortoise canlive a year without drinking water?They get most of their water fromthe plants they eat.

Here’s a two spot octopus. Theyhave an amazing ability tocamouflage, with two spots thattrick predators. Right now it lookslike she’s fast asleep.

An octopus has 8 arms with tubefeet covering them all! They alsohave a beak that is located in themiddle of all their arms.

We’re running out of time for today.

On our way outside to wait for thebus, reach down and touch thisfossil from a real gray whaleskeleton! It was buriedunderground for many years.


We can also take one more quickwalk out to the Sweetwater MarshNational Wildlife Refuge to see ifwe can spot any other animalsvisiting the shores of San Diego Bay.

Sweetwater Marsh was added tothe San Diego Bay National WildlifeRefuge Complex in 1996.Endangered wildlife have andcontinue to call this refuge home.

The many docents, aquarists, andvolunteers working at Living Coasttake care of all of the animals wesaw today! Maybe you can help outhere when you get older.

Did you learn a lot today? Writedown one more thing that youlearned and share it with a friend.

Our partners at Living Coast areessential to helping us provide thisfield trip for you.

Come back with your familyanytime and explore the exhibitsagain.

Photos taken by Anna Mar unless otherwise credited

sea turtle discovery...green sea turtles get their name because as adults they love to eat green...

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