Turtle facts

Do you know that

turtles have been inhabiting our planet for more than 150 million years?

it is assumed that there will hardly be any turtles to be seen in the oceans of this planet anymore in the near future, unless massive protection measures are undertaken now?

only 1-2 out of 1.000 turtle hatchlings grow to adulthood? Once grown up they have only two predators: Sharks and, much more important: Mankind.

Green Turtles can stay under water for up to five hours with the air of one breath in their lungs?

Green Turtles can reduce their heart rate to a minimum of one pulse per nine minutes when diving?

sea turtles travel thousands of miles on their journeys through the oceans of the world?

after many years of migration in the world´s oceans female sea turtles always return to the very same beach from which they once originated to lay their own eggs there?

sea turtle eggs are regarded as a delicacy in many countries and that the ongoing looting of their nests is by far the foremost threat to the future of sea turtles?

sea turtles have been living on this planet for millions of years and are now brought to the edge of extinction in just a century by mankind?

30 years ago several hundred turtles came ashore on Sangalaki (Indonesia) nightly to lay their eggs? Five years ago the numbers declined to about 50 nesting turtles nightly; today the average number came down further to a mere 10-20.

in 1947 40.000 female sea turtles came ashore to lay their eggs in the Gulf of Mexico? 1960 the number was down to 5.000, and further reduced to 700 by 1989!

50 years ago thousands of nests were counted each year in the state of Terengganu Peninsula (Malaysia)? In 1991 the number was down to 207 and further reduced to a mere 19 in 1998. In recent years the numbers have dropped to less than 10 nests per year and the population is considered virtually extinct.

with every single egg and hatchling, which we save today, we contribute to the chance that nests will be built and eggs will be laid again at the same site in about 10 to 20 years time?