Curious About Sea Turtles

In episode 200, we get curious about sea turtles for Vienna, Dahlia, and Violet of Montreal, Canada, and for Olivia!  We learn what sea turtles are, why they are so important, and what we can do to protect them, with the help of a very special guest, sea turtle expert Savannah.  

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Transcript

PODCAST 200: CURIOUS ABOUT SEA TURTLES

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, JULY 31ST, 2022

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST, EPISODE NUMBER 200.  

O:  WHEN WE STARTED THIS THING 4 YEARS AGO, WE NEVER COULD HAVE IMAGINED RECORDING 200 EPISODES OF THE PODCAST.

D:  IT’S THE TREMENDOUS LOVE AND SUPPORT WE GET FROM ALL OF YOU, OUR LISTENERS, THAT KEEPS THIS PODCAST GOING.  

O:  IT MEANS SO MUCH TO US THAT THERE IS A GLOBAL FAMILY OF LISTENERS THAT LOVE LISTENING TO THE PODCAST AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US EACH AND EVERY WEEK.  

D:  WE DO LOTS OF THINGS TO SHOW HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATE YOU JOINING US FOR THIS JOURNEY, INCLUDING GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT TOPICS YOU SUGGEST FOR US.  BUT, BECAUSE WE ARE CELEBRATING A REALLY BIG MILESTONE EPISODE, I THINK IT’S ONLY FAIR THAT WE LET OLIVIA SELECT THIS WEEK’S TOPIC.  THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT WE WON’T BE OPENING UP ANY MAIL THIS WEEK, BECAUSE THERE ARE LISTENERS THAT ARE CURIOUS ABOUT THE VERY SAME TOPIC THAT OLIVIA IS CURIOUS ABOUT, AND SENT US AN E-MAIL 15 MONTHS AGO TO LET US KNOW ALL ABOUT IT.

O:  MAILBAG!

D:  MAILBAG!

“HI OLIVIA AND JACOB, WE LOVE YOUR PODCAST.  WE LISTEN TO IT IN THE CAR ALMOST EVERY DAY.  GREAT JOB!  MY NAME IS VIENNA.  I AM 8 YEARS OLD.  MY TWO SISTERS, DAHLIA AND VIOLET (6 YEARS OLD), AND I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN ABOUT SEA TURTLES.

FROM VIENNA, DAHLIA, AND VIOLET OF MONTREAL, CANADA”

O:  THANKS SO MUCH FOR THAT E-MAIL!  WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT SEA TURTLES TODAY FOR VIENNA, DAHLIA, VIOLET, AND FOR ME.

D:  THIS EPISODE IS GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN.  NOT ONLY ARE SEA TURTLES SUPER FUN AND INTERESTING, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST THAT KNOWS A TON ABOUT SEA TURTLES THAT WILL BE JOINING US IN JUST A FEW MINUTES.

O:  AND THEN, AT THE END OF THE EPISODE, WE ARE GOING TO PLAY THE AMAZING MESSAGES YOU SENT US TO CONGRATULATE US ON 200 EPISODES OF CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  

D:  THIS EPISODE IS GOING TO END UP BEING A SUPER-SIZED ONE, FULL OF LOTS OF INTERESTING FACTS AND OTHER GOODIES, SO LET’S START LEARNING ABOUT SEA TURTLES.  OLIVIA, WHAT’S THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, HOW MUCH TIME DO SEA TURTLES SPEND ON LAND AFTER THEY HATCH?

D:  SEA TURTLE EXPERT, SAVANNAH, IS GOING TO GIVE US THE ANSWER IN A BIT, SO WHILE YOU’RE THINKING, LET’S START BY LEARNING WHAT SEA TURTLES ARE.

O:  SEA TURTLES LIVE IN WATER, AND CAN BE FOUND ALL OVER THE WORLD, EXCEPT IN THE EXTREME NORTH AND SOUTH, WHERE IT’S TOO COLD FOR THEM TO SURVIVE.  

D:  SEA TURTLES HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A VERY LONG TIME.  IT IS ESTIMATED THAT SEA TURTLES HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR AS LONG AS 110 MILLION YEARS, OR SINCE THE JURASSIC ERA.  THAT MEANS THAT THEY EXISTED AT THE SAME TIME AS DINOSAURS.

O:  THERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT MAKE SEA TURTLES DIFFERENT FROM OTHER TURTLES.  ONE OF THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCES IS THAT SEA TURTLES ARE NOT ABLE TO DRAW THEIR LEGS AND HEAD INTO THEIR SHELLS.    

D:  THE SHELL OF A SEA TURTLE IS MADE OF BONE AND CARTILAGE.  CARTILAGE IS THE SAME FLEXIBLE CONNECTIVE TISSUE THAT CAN BE FOUND IN HUMAN NOSES AND EARS.

O:  THERE ARE 7 DIFFERENT TYPES OF SEA TURTLES, AND THEY ARE ALL AWESOME AND UNIQUE, SO LET’S LEARN SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT EACH OF THEM.

D:  THE GREEN SEA TURTLE MIGHT HAVE A CONFUSING NAME, BECAUSE THE TOP OF IT’S SHELL IS USUALLY ORANGE OR RED IN COLOR.  IF YOU TRIED PICKING ONE OF THESE TURTLES UP SO YOU CAN SEE THE BOTTOM OF IT’S SHELL, WHICH WOULD BE VERY HARD TO DO SINCE THEY WEIGH ABOUT 4 TIMES MORE THAN THE AVERAGE HUMAN ADULT, YOU WOULD SEE THAT THE BOTTOM OF IT’S SHELL IS GREEN.  CHECK OUT THIS INTERESTING FACT ABOUT GREEN SEA TURTLES.  WHEN THEY ARE BORN, THEY LIKE EATING SMALL ANIMALS, LIKE WORMS.  WHEN THEY GET OLDER, AT ABOUT THE AGE OF 3 YEARS, THEY ACTUALLY BECOME VEGETARIANS AND FEAST ON STUFF LIKE ALGAE INSTEAD.  

O:  LEATHERBACK SEA TURTLES ARE THE LARGEST OF ALL SEA TURTLES.  THEY DON’T HAVE A HARD SHELL LIKE ALL OF THE OTHER SEA TURTLES.  AS THEIR NAME SUGGESTS, LEATHERBACK SEA TURTLES HAVE SKIN THAT’S FIRM AND FEELS LIKE RUBBER.  THEY ENJOY EATING JELLYFISH.  

D:  LOGGERHEAD SEA TURTLES HAVE LARGER HEADS THAN THE OTHER SEA TURTLES.  THEIR JAWS ARE SUPER STRONG.  THEIR JAWS ALLOW THEM TO EAT ANIMALS WITH HARD SHELLS, SO THEY ENJOY EATING CLAMS, CONCHS, AND HORSESHOE CRABS.  

O:  HAWKSBILL SEA TURTLES GOT THEIR NAME BECAUSE THEY HAVE WHAT LOOKS LIKE A HAWKS BEAK.  THEIR UPPER SHELL IS HEART SHAPED.  THEIR FAVORITE FOODS INCLUDE ANEMONES, SHRIMP, AND SQUID.

D:  THERE IS ANOTHER SEA TURTLE NAMED KEMP’S RIDLEY SEA TURTLE.  THIS TURTLE GOT IT’S NAME FROM RICHARD KEMP, THE FISHERMAN THAT DISCOVERED IT.  THEY ARE THE MOST ENDANGERED SEA TURTLE.  

O:  THEN, WE HAVE THE OLIVE RIDLEY SEA TURTLE, WHICH IS NAMED AFTER ME… JUST KIDDING.  IT’S VERY SIMILAR TO KEMP’S RIDLEY SEA TURTLE, EXCEPT THAT IT HAS AN UPPER SHELL AND SKIN THAT IS A LITTLE GREEN IN COLOR.  IT’S THE SMALLEST OF ALL OF THE SEA TURTLES, BUT A FULL GROWN KEMP’S RIDLEY SEA TURTLE STILL WEIGHS MORE THAN ME.

D:  FINALLY, WE HAVE THE FLATBACK SEA TURTLE.  YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE WHY IT HAS THAT NAME.  IT’S BECAUSE IT’S SHELL LOOKS FLAT ON TOP.  THAT ALLOWS IT TO MOVE VERY WELL IN WATER.  FLATBACK SEA TURTLES ARE OMNIVORES, SO THEY ENJOY EATING JELLYFISH AND MOLLUSKS, BUT ALSO ENJOY SNACKING ON SEAGRASSES AND SEAWEED.  

O:  SEA TURTLES ARE IN TROUBLE, AND 6 OF THE 7 TYPES OF SEA TURTLE ARE CURRENTLY PROTECTED BECAUSE THEY ARE AT RISK OF GOING EXTINCT.  THE ONLY ONE THAT ISN’T ENDANGERED IS THE FLATBACK TURTLE.  SAVANNAH IS GOING TO GIVE US SOME TIPS ON WHAT WE CAN DO TO PROTECT SEA TURTLES IN JUST A MOMENT.  

D:  SEA TURTLES ARE A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR ECOSYSTEM, SO PROTECTING THEM IS IMPORTANT.  THEY HELP KEEP THE OCEANS HEALTHY BY SIMPLY EATING.  GREEN TURTLES LOVE EATING SEAGRASS.  THAT MAKES THEM LIKE THE LAWNMOWERS OF THE OCEAN, MAKING THE OCEAN SAFER FOR OTHER ANIMALS.  

O:  HAWKSBILL TURTLES HELP KEEP THE CORAL REEFS HEALTHY BY EATING SPONGES, AND PREVENTING SPONGES FROM STOPPING CORAL GROWTH.  

D:  LEATHERBACKS DO THEIR PART BY EATING TONS OF JELLYFISH, KEEPING THEIR NUMBERS UNDER CONTROL.  

O:  SIMPLY PUT, OUR OCEANS WOULD NOT BE AS CLEAN AND HEALTHY AS THEY COULD BE IF WE DIDN’T HAVE SEA TURTLES HELPING TO KEEP THINGS CLEAN.  

D:  SEA TURTLES ARE AMAZING.  CHECK OUR SOME OF THESE INCREDIBLE SEA TURTLE FACTS.

O:  SEA TURTLES CAN LIVE VERY LONG LIVES, AND ARE CAPABLE OF LIVING FOR MORE THAN 150 YEARS.  

D:  SEA TURTLES ARE GREAT TRAVELERS, AND CAN TRAVEL THOUSANDS OF MILES A YEAR.  ONE LEATHERBACK WAS TRACKED GOING ALMOST 13,000 MILES IN JUST 647 DAYS.    

O:  SEA TURTLES HAVE LUNGS AND THEY CAN’T BREATHE WATER, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN SEA TURTLES CAN’T SPEND LOTS OF TIME UNDERWATER.  THEY ARE CAPABLE OF HOLDING THEIR BREATH FOR HOURS.  

D:  THEY’VE BEEN REPORTED TO HOLD THEIR BREATH FOR AS LONG AS 5 HOURS UNDERWATER.  THEY ARE ABLE TO DO THIS BY SLOWING THINGS DOWN.  FOR EXAMPLE, THEY SLOW THEIR HEART RATE DOWN SO THAT THEIR HEART BEATS ONLY ONCE ABOUT EVERY 9 MINUTES.  MEANWHILE, A HEALTHY HUMAN HEART BEATS BETWEEN 60 TO 100 TIMES EVERY MINUTE.  

O:  SEA TURTLES ARE CAPABLE OF CRYING, BUT NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE SAD.  THEY HAVE GLANDS THAT HELP MAKE TEARS TO CLEAN SALT FROM THEIR EYES.  WHEN THEY MAKE THOSE TEARS, IT LOOKS LIKE THEY’RE CRYING.  

D:  LIKE WE’VE ALREADY LEARNED, SEA TURTLES ENJOY EATING SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF FOOD.  YOU WOULD THINK THEY HAVE LOTS OF TEETH FOR MUNCHING ON THEIR FOOD, BUT SEA TURTLES DON’T HAVE TEETH AT ALL.  THEY JUST HAVE A BEAK THEY USE TO GRAB THEIR FOOD, AND THEIR BEAKS ARE MADE OF KERATIN, WHICH IS THE STUFF THAT CAN BE FOUND IN OUR FINGERNAILS.  

THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO LEARN ABOUT SEA TURTLES, BUT WHY HERE IT FROM US WHEN WE ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A SEA TURTLE EXPERT WHO IS GOING TO TEACH US EVEN MORE.  HER NAME IS SAVANNAH, AND SHE STUDIED MARINE BIOLOGY IN COLLEGE.  SHE STARTED WORKING WITH SEA TURTLES DURING THE SUMMER OF 2019, IN FLORIDA.  SHE HELPED DO MORNING NESTING PATROLS, WHICH MEANS THAT SHE WOULD GO UP AND DOWN THE BEACH LOOKING FOR TURTLE TRACKS, SO SHE COULD FIND THEIR NESTS.  ONE SHE FOUND THE NEST, SHE HELPED PUT WIRE NETTING ON THE NEST TO PROTECT THEM FROM PREDATORS, LIKE COYOTES AND RACCOONS.  IN 2020, SHE DID NIGHTLY PATROLS IN NORTH CAROLINA.  THAT SUMMER, SHE DROVE UP AND DOWN THE BEACH AT NIGHT LOOKING FOR TURTLES OR TURTLE TRACKS.  ONCE SHE FOUND A NESTING SEA TURTLE, SHE WOULD TAG HER, MEASURE HER SHELL, AND GET SKIN SAMPLES.  SHE WOULD ALSO SCREEN THE NEST TO PROTECT IT FROM PREDATORS.  ONCE HATCHLING SEASON CAME AROUND, SHE WOULD MONITOR THE NESTS TO MAKE SURE THE HATCHLINGS GOT TO THE WATER SAFELY, AND THEN SHE WOULD DIG UP THE NESTS TO SEE HOW MANY EGGS HATCHED.  LAST SUMMER, IN 2021, SHE WORKED IN TEXAS TO TAKE CARE OF TURTLES THAT WERE BEING REHABILITATED IN A TURTLE HOSPITAL.  SHE HELPED TAKE BLOOD, PERFORM X-RAYS, GIVE MEDICATIONS, PREPARE FOOD, CLEAN TANKS, AND RELEASE THE TURTLES BACK INTO THE OCEAN.  SHE IS CURRENTLY A STUDENT AT FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY (GO SEMINOLES!!!), AND IS WORKING ON HER MASTERS IN BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY.  SHE IS IN A SEA TURTLE RESEARCH LAB, AND HER RESEARCH PROJECT FOCUSES ON ANALYZING SEA TURTLE SKIN TISSUE SAMPLES TO SEE WHAT AND WHERE THEY ARE EATING.

WE ARE SUPER, SUPER LUCKY TO HAVE SAVANNAH JOIN US FOR A FEW MINUTES TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS.  TAKE IT AWAY, OLIVIA.

O:  HI SAVANNAH.  THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING A GUEST ON CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP SAVE SEA TURTLES, SINCE THEY ARE ENDANGERED?

S:  —————————————————————————————.

O:  HOW BIG CAN SEA TURTLES GET?

S:  —————————————————————————————.

O:  IS IT TRUE THAT SEA TURTLES LAY THEIR NEST IN THE SAME PLACE THAT THEY WERE HATCHED?

S:  —————————————————————————————.

O:  AND THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, HOW MUCH TIME DO SEA TURTLES SPEND ON LAND AFTER HATCHING?

S:  —————————————————————————————.

D:  WOW, THAT WAS INCREDIBLE.  A BIG THANK YOU TO SAVANNAH FOR JOINING US FOR A FEW MINUTES.  

O:  WE ALSO WANT TO THANK SAVANNAH FOR ALL OF THE INCREDIBLE WORK SHE IS DOING TO HELP PROTECT SEA TURTLES.  

D:  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  200 - SEA TURTLES.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB VIENNA, DAHLIA, AND VIOLET FOR GIVING US A SHELL OF A TOPIC TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT.  DON’T GO ANYWHERE, BECAUSE WE WANT YOU TO ENJOY THE INCREDIBLE MESSAGES WE RECEIVED FROM THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF OUR PODCAST, YOU, OUR LISTENERS.  BEFORE WE DO THAT, WE HAVE SOME AMAZING PEOPLE TO THANK.

O:  THANK YOU TO OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTERS, ARREN AND ARMIN S., AND SHIV AND AYAAN G.

D:  A BIG THANKS TO ARREN, ARMIN, SHIV, AND AYAAN FOR YOUR SUPPORT.  WE WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET TO 200 EPISODES WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF OUR PATREON SUPPORTERS.  

FOR OUR VERY FIRST EPISODE, EPISODE 1, WE GOT CURIOUS ABOUT SLEEP.  YOU CAN GO BACK AND LISTEN TO THAT EPISODE ANY TIME YOU’D LIKE.  YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE WHAT OLIVIA SOUNDED LIKE WHEN WE GOT CURIOUS ABOUT SLEEP 4 YEARS AGO, IN OUR FIRST EPISODE.  IN OUR VERY NEXT EPISODE, EPISODE 201, WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT DREAMS FOR LISTENERS IN CALIFORNIA, OHIO, AND TEXAS.  NOW, SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE FANTASTIC SOUNDBITES YOU SENT IN TO US.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.