Ms Mallory Adventures Sea Turtle Activity Booklet

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The Curious Conservationist Club

Jr. Sea Turtle Researcher Edition

What is a Curious Conservationist™?

Curious- excited to learn new things Conservationist- protector and preserver of all things found in nature

A Curious Conservationist is someone that likes to: Explore

Discover They use their creativity and smarts to find useful ways to help take care of the Earth’s plants, animals, and the places they call home.

How to Become a Junior Sea Turtle Researcher and earn the Curious Conservationist™ Sea Turtle Badge?

Complete the activity booklet that is included. There are a lot of things to learn and do, so take your time. Sea turtle scientists and researchers learn for many years to gain all the knowledge they have. If you are having trouble with an activity, ask an adult to help. They may learn something new, too.

Enjoy the natural world around them (from the tiniest creatures to the grandest ocean)

Curious Conservationists are all great teachers.

They share what they learn and help others become Curious Conservationists, too.

Complete these 3 tasks: 1. Learn Something New 2. Try Something New 3. Make a positive impact

**Don’t worry. You can find some examples on the last page when you finish the activities.**

Don’t forget to visit www.MsMalloryAdventures.com for extra fun videos, adventures and facts about sea turtles.

This Book belongs to: ___________________________________ I am _______________________ years old and line in (city/state) __________________________

Sea Turtle Word Search Before we dive into the world of sea turtles, let’s get familiar with some sea turtle words. If you don’t know a word, look it up or visit the Ms. Mallory Adventures website for a video on sea turtle vocabulary.

MARINE REPTILE

HATCHLING

SHELL

OCEAN

LOST YEARS

EGG

ARRIBADA

BEAK

CLUTCH

SPECIES

ENDANGERED

PLASTIC

SEA TURTLE

FLIPPER

POLLUTION

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*Words can be vertical, horizontal, or diagonal

0 in.

24 in.

36 in.

48 in.

72 in.

Leatherback

Dermochelys coriacea

Green Sea

Chelonia mydas

Loggerhead Caretta caretta

Flatback

Natator depressus

Hawksbill

Eretmochelys imbricata

Olive Ridley

Lepidochelys olivacea

Kemp’s Ridley

Lepidochelys kempii

39 in.

3.25 ft.

36 in.

3 ft.

30 in.

2.5 ft.

24 in.

2 ft.

42 in.

3.5 ft.

54 in.

4.5 ft.

72 in.

6 ft.

Sea Turtle Size Up

Tools needed: pen/pencil,

How Do You Compare?

measuring tape

Directions: Sea turtles come in all sizes. The smallest is about the size of a dinner plate, while the largest can be the size of a golf cart. Wow! Let’s see how you compare in size.

1.

Measure how tall you are with a measuring tape provided in the kit. (Sometimes measuring when you are laying down is easier)

Helpful Hint!

Ask an adult or a f riend to help measure you. Remember to say thank you for helping.

2. Write the number down below and see what species you are closest

to in size. Bonus: You can also measure your friends and family to see which sea turtle species they are closest to.

I am

inches tall.

Use Your Imagination Lay down and close your eyes. Imagine you are floating beside a sea turtle as big as you. How do you feel? Excited?

Scared? Why?

Research Time

I am the size of a

Reading and collecting information is a very important part of research. Ask an adult to help you research on the Ms. Mallory Adventures website and fill in the blanks about your species.

Where am I found?

What do I like to eat?

Things that can make me sick: Fun Fact:

sea turtle.

Species Scramble There are 7 species of sea turtle roaming the oceans.

Each one is very unique in their own way.

Unscramble the letters to find what species belongs to each awesome fact. The first letter is already filled in for you. **Hint: Look on the sea turtle size chart (page 3) for a list of all the species.

1.

I am named after my HUGE head.

OGLEHGRDAE

L 5

2.

I am the only sea turtle species that is an herbivore (eats only plants) as an adult. I get my name from the color of my fat.

ENERG

G 9

3.

I am the largest of all the sea turtles and am named after my ‘leather-like’ shell.

ETEBCLAHRAK

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B 10

4.

I am the most endangered of the sea turtles. I am named after Richard Kemp, the man that helped discover my species.

SEMKP DLEIRY

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Species Scramble 5.

I have a light green shell and am slightly larger than the last species, but my name is very similar.

LOVIE DLEIRY

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1

6.

I am named after my flattened shell.

LTA FA B C K

F 2

7.

I am named after my bill that reminds scientists of a bird’s beak.

AWSILHBKL

H 4

7

Take the letters highlighted in green and match them to the numbers below to uncover the boys question.

Bonus Question: The first sea turtle Ms. Mallory ever saw in the wild was a

O 7

1

G 5

9

H 3

10

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Answers: 1) loggerhead 2) green 3) leatherback 4)kemp’s ridley 5) olive ridley 6)flatback 7)hawksbill Bonus: loggerhead

*

Mystery Facts Sea turtles have been one of nature’s great mysteries.

Scientists have only begun to discover the secrets of sea turtle life.

Use the mystery decoder below to uncover some amazing sea turtle facts.

Z Y X W V U T S R Q P O N M L K J I H G F E D C B A A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1.

A mass nesting event of thousands of female Olive Ridley and Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles.

2.

Along with salt water crocodiles, sea snakes, and marine iguanas, sea turtles are a part of this group of animals.

3.

A sea turtle doesn’t have teeth to eat with. Instead, it has this.

4.

The time between when a hatchling enters the open ocean for the first time and returns to the coastal waters to mature.

This can be as long as 10 years!

Z I

I R Y Z W Z

N Z I R M V

I V K G R O V H

Y V Z P

O L H G

B V Z I H

FUN FACT: The extinct Archelon was as long as (and weighed as much as) an adult white rhino!!

Answers: 1. Arribada 2. Marine Reptiles. 3. Beak 4. Lost years

All in the Numbers Solve the numbers to find the answers to some seriously sensational sea turtle statistics!

The largest leatherback sea turtle weighed this much.

Curious Conversations

(200 x 10) + (12+7) = Answer:

If only a few hatchlings make it to adulthood, what sort of problems do you think they face growing up?

pounds or 916 kg That’s more than (4x2) + 2 =

Out of every

f ull grown men!

1,000 hatchlings,

how many make it to adulthood?

(3x2) - 5 = Answer: only

out of

every 1, 000 hatchlings How old will

Compare your answers to the sea turtle hatchling video on the Ms. Mallory Adventures youtube channel.

some sea turtle females be before laying their first clutch on eggs?

(10x2) + 15 = Answer: Up to

years old

Most females will mature and start laying eggs around 10-30 years old.

Answers: 1) 2,019; 10 2)1 3) 35

Buddy System Sea turtles are keystone species, which means they are an important part of their environment and can have an effect on other species around them.

When two organisms (plants and/or animals) work together to create partnerships that help each other, the partnership is called a mutualistic relationship ­– or simply mutualism. Nature is full of ‘buddies’ like this. We see these relationships daily. Have you ever watched a bee land on a flower? Well, that is a mutualistic relationship. The bee is helping pollinate the flower while getting food for its hive.

In the ocean, sea turtles make excellent buddies for some of their ocean neighbors and communities.

Directions: Use the clues below each picture to draw a line between the sea turtle and its ocean buddy.

My buddy deposits nutrients (shells and unhatched eggs) in the sand so I can grow big and strong. The stronger I am, the better my roots can hold sand in the dunes and prevent erosion.

Just like a lawn needs to be mowed, I need a buddy to keep me trimmed and healthy.

Sponges can be a problem for a slow-growing coral like me. Luckily sponges are a favorite food for my buddy.

Jellyfish eat larval fish like me. My buddy keeps jellyfish populations from getting too big, so more baby fish can grow to have babies of their own.

I am a green sea turtle. Some call me an aquatic lawnmower because I love eating seagrass and algae.

I am a hungry leatherback sea turtle that loves juicy jellyfish.

I need healthy sand dunes to nest in.

I am a sponge loving hawksbill sea turtle that likes to rest in healthy reefs.

Make It To The Ocean As soon as they hatch, baby sea turtles have one thing on their mind.

MAKE IT TO THE OCEAN. Unfortunately, this is no easy task. Raccoons, crabs, ants, birds and many other predators see baby turtles as bite size snacks. Artificial lights from houses and buildings can confuse hatchlings and prevent them from going in the right direction. Even our forgotten sand toys, trash from a picnic lunch, and sand castles can trap baby turtles and cause BIG problems for the little guys.

Help our little sea turtle hatchling friend make it to the ocean. But be careful! There are lots of dangers lurking on the beach.

Highs and Lows Data collecting is very important for conservation. It can help answer important questions and also show researchers if there are any changes over a period of time.

Below is a table with the number of nests recorded for 10 years on Ms. Mallory’s “Sea Turtle Beach”. Graph the number of nests that are recorded in the table below to see if the number of nests are increasing or decreasing. The first data point is marked for you.

YEAR

NESTS RECORDED

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6 5 6 1 4 5 12 15 10 12

One year had lots of storms that prevented females from coming to the beach. Which year do you think that was?

15 14

NUMBER OF NESTS

13 12 11 10 9

With the help of volunteers, Sea Turtle Beach decided to turn off all artificial lights during nesting season and also protected nests from digging predators.

Which year had the greatest increase?

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1

2

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YEARS

7

8

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10

**Parents: Don’t let the graphing fun stop here. Make your own ‘Sea Turtle Beach’ data sheet by writing in new numbers for recorded nests. Add high numbers and low numbers to explain how certain factors (storms, fishing nets, pollution, nest protection, etc) can affect nest numbers. Get some graphing paper and start entering some data!!

Answers: 1. Year 4 ; 2. Year 7

In the Field Congrats! You just found a nesting

What You Need:

loggerhead sea turtle. She has already dug her nest and is laying her eggs. Now that she is in a trance-like state, we can collect data.

Measuring Tape Masking tape or chalk Parent Instruction Sheet This Sheet Data Sheet Something hard to write on Pen

When researchers are collecting data on a sea turtle, they will measure the carapace (top shell) and check the ID Tags.

Directions: Create a life-size loggerhead sea

turtle by creating an outline with masking tape (if inside) or using chalk (if outside). See the parent instruction sheet for sizes and other ideas. Fill out the DATA SHEET by following the steps below.

You can also visit MsMalloryAdventures.com for helpful videos and tips.

TRY THIS! Once you have collected data on your first nesting sea turtle, be creative with the next one- give her a unique story. Maybe she escaped a shark attack, but lost her flipper? Or

1.

We need to know what nest number is she? Is this

maybe a boat was going too fast

your first nest of the season? 50th? Or your 100th?

and the propeller scarred her shell?

Be creative with injuries and measurements. Don’t forget to

2.

Create a tag number for your sea turtle and place it

3.

Name your turtle and write down the tag number

4.

in the rectangle on the flippers. Be creative.

in the correct spots.

Measure the carapace (top shell) like the diagram shows. Top to bottom. Side to Side. Loggerheads can be quite big, so ask a friend for help if you can’t reach all the way.

5.

draw it on your data sheet.

Mark down any injuries you may ‘see.’ This will help you recognize her faster next nesting season.

Fun Fact:

Ms. Mallory volunteers with the Carreta Research Project, one of Georgia’s oldest sea turtle research and conservation groups.

They began collecting loggerhead sea turtle data in 1973! By 2018, they had collected data on over 1,700 different loggerhead sea turtles!

Relocating A Nest Sometimes female sea turtles lay their eggs in the ‘flood zone,’ or where the ocean water can flood the nest during high tide. Researchers will relocate, or move, the nest closer to the dunes for safety. But they must be very careful. Unlike bird eggs the must be rotated during incubation (development), reptile eggs must remain VERY still. If twisted or turned, the developing embryo (baby sea turtle) inside can die.

What You Need: Sea turtle eggs (Ping Pong Balls) Pencil Hole in Sand Box, bucket, or large bowl

IMPORTANT NOTE:

In this exercise we will gently transfer ‘sea turtle’ eggs from one nest to another.

1.

Place ping pong balls in your hole, bucket or large bowl. This is your sea turtle nest that is in danger of being flooded.

2.

Use the pencil to put a small ‘X’ on the top of the egg you are about to move. When you move the egg, make sure the ‘X’ is always on top. We don’t want the egg turning and the baby sea turtle getting hurt.

3.

Place the egg in its new nest. Is the ‘X’ still on top like it was in the first nest? This can take some practice to get right. If you accidentally drop or twist thee egg- don’t worry- just try again.

Practice. Practice. Practice. That is why we are using ping pong balls and not real eggs.

It is NEVER okay to move a real animal’s nest on your own. Not only can it be dangerous for the animal (or even you), it can also be illegal. If you ever think an animal nest is in danger, have an adult call their local wildlife agency.

Surveying A Nest Most sea turtle eggs hatch in 45-55 days.

What You Need: Nest Survey Sheet

Once sea turtle researchers know the hatchlings have left the nest (emerged), they will dig the nest to take a nest survey. They will record record how many eggs hatched, how

Something hard to write on

many did not hatch, and check for any stragglers (hatchlings

Scissors

that never left the nest). This helps the researchers learn the Hatching Success Percentage, or how many of the eggs hatched into baby sea turtles.

In this activity you will do a nest survey of your very own!

1.

Cut out the nest survey cards. Each card will have a picture of a empty eggshell (HATCHED) or a whole egg (UNHATCHED)

2.

random cards and lay them face down in front of

**Nest Survey Video (website)

**recommended

# of UNHATCHED CARDS __________ X 10 = __________%

# of HATCHED CARDS ___________ X 10 = __________%

Pick one card up at a time and look at it. On the data sheet, place a dash next to the picture that represents the card you see.

4.

Parent Instruction Sheet

Mix them up without looking at them. Pick 10 you. This will represent the nest you are surveying.

3.

Pen

After you have recorded all 10 cards, add up the HATCHED and UNHATCHED sections. Write the

You will know this is correct if you add the percentages together and they equal 100

number and circle it.

5.

Multiply each number by 10 and you will have your nest percentages! Your HATCHING PERCENTAGE is your HATCHING SUCCESS!!

BONUS:

There is a space for your nest’s HATCHING SUCCESS PERCENTAGE on your DATA SPREADSHEET. Find your nest number and record the HATCHING SUCCESS PERCENTAGE. Then erase the data sheet, mix the cards together and start again with a new nest.

Your HATCHED % = HATCHING SUCCESS What is your HATCHING SUCCESS in this activity?

(Hint: Same as your answer in Hatched cards %)

It Takes A Team Now that we have learned a little bit about what it is like to be a Junior Sea Turtle Researcher, it’s important to know that researchers and scientists aren’t the only ones helping sea turtles.

Draw a line to match each riddle to the right Curious Conservationist ™ job.

I answer questions and try to teach In an aquarium or on a beach.

My job is to know and share.

Because I know the more you discover, the more you’ll care.

It’s not my job I do it because I care.

Cleaning up trash and not using plastic is my way of making this world even more fantastic.

I use Turtle Exclusion Devices or TED’s So sea turtles can get away My nets are meant for fish And for sea turtles to swim another day.

My business is by a beach Where nesting sea turtles like to be.

My lights turn off at night So mommas and hatchlings can make their way to the sea.

I drive real slow When I see a sea turtle swimming.

I would never want to hurt one When my sharp propellers are spinning.

Not All Heroes Wear Capes, But All Want to Make a Difference.

Congratulations!

You have completed the Junior Sea Turtle Research Kit! Let’s make sure we have covered all the steps to earn your Curious Conservationist ™ sea turtle badge.

1.

2.

Learn Something New.

Have you ever used a measuring tape?

What about created a graph or logged data? Learning new things can be hard at first, but fun once you do it a few times.

Hopefully you learned something new in this packet. There was a lot of information.

Fun Fact I Learned

3.

Try Something New.

New Thing I Tried

Make a positive impact.

This is something the kit can not provide.

You must make choices and take action.

Circle 3 Things from the choices below that you and an adult will do to help our sea turtles and their ocean friends.

Have an adult sign below when completed.

Use a reusable bag

Ask for no balloons at my next party.

Make a presentation to share with my neighbors, class, or family about sea turtles

Clean up a park or playground

Clean up my street

Adult Signature _________________________

Use a reusable water bottle

Create a fundraiser to adopt a turtle/nest for your favorite sea turtle species.

(Ms. Mallory’s favorite pick is the Caretta Research Project)

Knock down my sand castles and fill in holes when I am done at the beach

Ask my parent to buy reef safe sunscreen.

CURIOUS CONSERVATIONIST PLEDGE: I, ___________________________, promise to do my best to be a friend and protector of nature. And to respect all living things and the the places they call home. I promise to share with others what I have learned and to help them become a Curious Conservationist, too.

Hi, I’m Ms. Mallory Adventures!

Whether I am exploring my backyard for bugs or following a scientist into a dark jungle, I know an adventure can be found anywhere. You just need to be curious! Learn more about my adventures (and how you can create your own, too) at MsMalloryAdventures.com