7 Surprising Foods Sea Turtles Can’t Resist

Ever wondered what it would be like to dine like a sea turtle? While we might love a good salad or seafood dish, sea turtles have a surprisingly diverse and, at times, bizarre menu.

From soft jellyfish to crunchy crabs, their eating habits are as varied as the oceans they call home.

Let’s dive into the seven foods these gentle creatures just can’t resist!

Sea Turtles Eat These 7 Foods

1. Jellyfish

When we think about sea turtles, one of the first images that comes to mind is probably a leatherback turtle, gliding through the water, chasing after jellyfish. Leatherbacks have a unique fondness for jellyfish, and it’s no wonder—they make up a large part of their diet!

Jellyfish may look harmless and soft, but they are surprisingly nutritious, and leatherbacks are built to consume them. These turtles have scissor-like jaws, perfectly designed to slice through the gelatinous bodies of jellyfish, making it easy for them to enjoy this meal.

But there’s a sad side to this story. The same texture and appearance of jellyfish that make them so appealing to leatherbacks can also trick them.

Leatherback turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, swallowing the bags thinking they’re in for a treat. The plastic can clog their digestive systems, sometimes leading to fatal consequences. This is one of the reasons why plastic pollution in the ocean is such a big issue for sea turtles.

I once watched a documentary where they followed a leatherback turtle as it hunted jellyfish. It was amazing to see how gracefully it maneuvered through the water, but it was heartbreaking when they showed footage of turtles consuming plastic. It really drives home how important it is to keep our oceans clean.

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2. Sponges

Not all sea turtles go for soft, squishy prey. Hawksbill sea turtles, for instance, have a very different palate. These turtles are what scientists call “spongivores”—they primarily eat sponges. Yes, sponges!

Hawksbills are one of the few animals in the world that can consume these often-toxic creatures. Many sponges produce chemicals to defend themselves from predators, but hawksbills seem completely unfazed by this.

Hawksbill turtles have sharp, pointed beaks, which they use like a tool to extract sponges from the crevices of coral reefs. It’s a delicate and skillful job, but hawksbills are up to the task. Their beak is perfectly adapted for reaching into those nooks and crannies where sponges like to hide.

This unique diet helps to maintain the balance of coral reef ecosystems, as hawksbills keep sponge populations in check, preventing them from overgrowing and suffocating corals.

3. Crabs

Loggerhead and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, on the other hand, prefer something a bit crunchier—crabs! These turtles are often seen scouring the seafloor, searching for their next crunchy bite.

Loggerheads, in particular, are built for this kind of eating. They have extremely powerful jaws, strong enough to crush the hard shells of crabs and other crustaceans like lobsters and shrimp.

Kemp’s ridley turtles are smaller than loggerheads, but they too have a strong preference for crabs. In fact, crabs make up the majority of the Kemp’s ridley’s diet.

These turtles will dive to the ocean floor and use their keen sense of smell to locate crabs hiding in the sand or mud. Once they find a crab, they’ll use their beaks and jaws to crack open the shell and enjoy the soft meat inside.

Watching sea turtles go after crabs is a real display of nature’s strength. It’s like watching a little tank on legs munch through something that seems impossible for most animals. Next time I see a crab at the beach, I’ll definitely think twice about how tough their shells really are!

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4. Seaweed and Algae

Now, not all sea turtles are meat-eaters. Green sea turtles, for example, are the vegetarians of the sea turtle world. Once they reach adulthood, they switch from an omnivorous diet to one that’s almost entirely plant-based.

They love seaweed, algae, and seagrasses, making them the only predominantly herbivorous sea turtle species.

Their finely serrated beaks are perfectly suited for this type of diet. These turtles use their beaks to scrape algae off rocks or to slice through thick seagrass meadows. By grazing on seagrasses, green sea turtles play a critical role in maintaining the health of seagrass beds, which are important habitats for many marine species.

I think it’s so cool that these turtles help to garden the ocean! They keep the underwater meadows trimmed and healthy, allowing other marine life to thrive.

5. Mollusks

For many sea turtle species, mollusks like conchs and whelks are a favorite food. Loggerheads and olive ridley turtles are especially fond of these hard-shelled creatures.

Using their powerful jaws, these turtles can crush through the tough exteriors of mollusks, which makes them a valuable source of nutrition. Mollusks provide a rich, meaty reward inside their shells, making them a satisfying meal for turtles that crave protein.

Loggerheads, in particular, seem to have an affinity for this type of food. Their strong jaws are perfectly adapted to crushing through shells, and they’ll often target conchs, clams, and other similar creatures while hunting on the seafloor. It’s an impressive feat, considering how hard some of these shells can be!

6. Soft Corals

Flatback sea turtles are among the most versatile eaters in the sea turtle family. They have a taste for a wide variety of marine organisms, but one of their favorite meals is soft corals. These turtles will also happily eat jellyfish and shrimp, but their fondness for soft corals is what makes them stand out.

Unlike the more rigid hard corals that we often think of, soft corals are more flexible and softer, making them easier for flatbacks to consume.

This adaptability in their diet allows flatbacks to thrive in different marine environments, from shallow waters near shorelines to deeper parts of the ocean. It’s this flexibility that has allowed them to carve out a niche in their habitat.

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7. Fish Eggs

Last but not least, juvenile sea turtles have a taste for fish eggs. As young turtles grow, they need all the nutrition they can get, and fish eggs provide them with essential nutrients. These tiny, nutrient-packed snacks are easy to come by in certain parts of the ocean, especially near reefs and spawning grounds.

Juvenile sea turtles are opportunistic feeders, meaning they’ll eat whatever is available to them. Fish eggs are often a part of that diet. This is especially important during the early stages of a sea turtle’s life when rapid growth is critical for their survival.