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Location: Home / Activities / A Day in a Turtle's Life!
Background Information:
The currently accepted life history model for the loggerhead illustrates that they spend approximately the first four years of life hiding and feeding in the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic Ocean. After leaving the Sargasso Sea, they begin their migration to feeding areas in other parts of the ocean and estuaries. Each day brings with it the chance of getting caught by predators, becoming entangled, or ingesting debris. Once loggerheads reach sexual maturity (approximately 20-30 years) the males and females mate offshore. The females then return to their natal region (where they were hatched) to nest.
Relay Set Up:
Determine the area where the activity will take place. Use the diagram on page three to set up each stage of the relay. Hide one piece of Sargasso weed (moss or plant) for each team and write a clue to that spot (samples on page three). Make index cards (10-20) with a type of food written on it. Place these cards in the "estuary". Also place one or two jump ropes in the "estuary", which the students will have to cross. Decide how many teams will be male and female and give the adult of each team an envelope with the sex determination inside. At the "beach" place 5 eggs and a spoon for each female team at one end and a bowl at the other (this is the finish line for the relay.)
Divide the class so that there are 4 students per team. Each student will represent one stage of the loggerhead's life during the relay:
Hatchling: finds the Sargasso Sea (hidden piece of weed)
Yearling: migrates to the estuary while avoiding predators
Juvenile: searches for food while avoiding hidden traps (hooks, nets, cold water) in the form of the ropes
Adult: finds a mate and then males return to estuary while females go to the beach to lay eggs
Additionally, a minimum of 1 student should be placed in the migration path to the estuary as a predator and a minimum of 2 students should operate the ropes in the estuary.
Now let's see if your students can survive a day as a turtle!
Relay instructions: Starting places are designated according to your life stage.
Hatchling: When your teacher says "GO", open your envelope, which contains the clues to the Sargasso Sea. When you have found a piece of Sargasso weed (moss or plant) in the Sea, return to the open ocean with the Sargasso weed and tag the yearling.
Yearling: Once you have been tagged by the hatchling, migrate from the ocean towards the estuary. There will be predators that you need to avoid. If you are captured (tagged) by a predator, sit for 15 seconds and restart at the beginning. Tag the juvenile when you have successfully migrated to the estuary.
Juvenile: After being tagged, you must enter the estuary and collect one piece of food. While searching for food you will have to jump over or through ropes (signifying obstacles such as fishing gear and very cold water). You must start over if you cause the rope to stop. Tag the adult when you have successfully collected the food.
Adult: When you are tagged by the juvenile, open up your envelope to determine whether you are a male or female sea turtle. Both males and females will run to the mating area (in the open ocean) to find an adult of the opposite sex to be their mate. Once you have found a mate, if you are a male sea turtle, return to the estuary and find as many pieces of food as you can. If you are a female, migrate to the beach and begin nesting. To do this you must carry one egg at a time with a spoon to the bowl at the end of the beach. Whichever team lays all their eggs first is the survivor!
Discussion Questions:
- What is the Sargasso Sea and where can it be found?
- What is an estuary?
- Which life stage had the most difficulty during the relay? Why?
- Which gender had an easier time during the relay and why? What happens if you flip the roles (i.e. those that where males become females), do you still have the same opinion?
- Did your team encounter more natural or human-related obstacles during the relay? How does this compare to sea turtles in the wild?
- In the wild what are some of the reasons that a female sea turtle would not come onto a beach to nest?
- What can you do to reduce human impacts on sea turtles?
Conclusion:
Each stage of life holds its own challenge for the loggerhead. Can you make a difference in the survival of this species?
Sample Clues for Hatchlings:
If the Sargasso Sea is in a different room:
- Head towards the place with different tastes (cafeteria)
- Go to the room where you have to be quiet as a mouse (library)
- The boss of your sea lives here (main office)
If the relay and the Sargasso Sea are in the same area:
- Take ten steps past the basketball hoop (in gym)
- Head towards the showers to find your own sea (in locker room)
- All your fishy gear is kept here (equipment room)
Variations: If you want to concentrate on the difficulty females have in finding suitable beaches have the females play musical chairs. Each chair that is removed is a lost beach (lost due to beach development, erosion, etc.)
Sample Relay Diagram:
This Activity is available as a printable PDF for your convenience.
A Day in a Turtle's Life (Adobe PDF, 150 KB)
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