Welcome, young explorers! Sea turtles are some of the oldest animals on Earth — they were swimming in the oceans even before the dinosaurs disappeared. This page is for primary school children and their teachers.

Meet the sea turtle

Sea turtles live almost their whole lives in the ocean, but mother turtles come up onto the beach at night to lay their eggs in the sand. When the baby turtles hatch, they scramble all the way down to the sea by themselves.

Why turtles need our help

Lights, litter, and busy beaches can make it hard for turtles to nest safely. When we know where the nests are, we can keep them safe — and that’s exactly what TortugaTracks helps people do, by spotting the tracks turtles leave in the sand.

Try it yourself

• Look at pictures of turtle tracks and guess which way the turtle was going.
• Draw your favourite sea turtle and give it a name.
• Find out which sea turtles live nearest to you.

This is starter copy — adapt it for the age group and add your own activities.