|
Like all other reptiles, sea turtles' body temperature depends upon their surroundings which explains their migration southward as northern waters cool off in the fall. The leatherback turtle, though, has recently been found to be able to create some body heat, thus making them able to withstand the chilly waters off Canada and Iceland, where they roam in the summer. Sea Turtles are air breathers, but are capable of holding their breath for quite some time. It is thought that they are also able to absorb oxygen from their skin, mouth and their cloaca.
Sea turtles remain in the sea during their entire lives except for adult females who briefly come ashore to nest in the summer months. In the eastern US sea turtles are found mainly along the southern and Mid - Atlantic coasts, Gulf of Mexico and in the Caribbean Sea. During the summer months when the Gulf Stream carries warm water north as far as Canada, sea turtles, with the exception of the hawksbill, roam as far north as Cape Cod near the shore, while the leatherback ranges even further north.
|