LIFE CYCLE OF TURTLES
The general life cycle of turtles are shared by all sea turtle species, with some small differences. Common for all sea turtles is that their life cycle is quite complex; they depend on the ocean to feed and grow but need sandy beaches to reproduce. Adults of all species (except the flatback) must make long migrations to reproduce as the distance between feeding and breeding areas can be hundreds to tens of thousands of kilometers. For female sea turtles this process is so exhausting that they usually only nest every 2-3 years.

Females of all species return to the beach where they were born to nest, a phenomenon named “natal homing”. Since sea turtles grow very slowly, they can take up to 50 years to reach sexual maturity–which is quite late in life! Sadly, they also have a very low natural survival rate: it is estimated that only one in 1,000 sea turtle hatchlings survive to adulthood