Turtle Shelter
Turtle Shelter opens up on 30th January!
In January SEA LIFE Helsinki experiences some changes as the groovy creatures of Jelly Disco give up their disco room and let the green ones take over. The new display of 2013 is Turtle Shelter! In Turtle Shelter there will be four different and extraordinary turtles. All the species of Turtle Shelter are semi aquatic which means that they spend their time both on land and in water.
Did you know?
The largest turtle is a Leatherback Turtle. This mega sea turtle can grow to more than six feet and weighs in at more than 2,000 pounds – about as much as a Ford Fiesta! Leatherback turtles are immune to the stings of their favourite food - Jellyfish! They dive to more than a thousand metres to catch them.
The smallest turtle is called the Speckled Cape Tortoise. This tiny turtle measures no more than eight centimetres and lives in Little Namaqualand in western South Africa where it feeds on the tiny plants it finds between rocks.
Did you know that there are about 260 known turtle species in the world and turtles are one of the planets oldest creatures? Come and have the best Turtle Day at SEA LIFE Helsinki!
The Inhabitants of Turtle Shelter
Conservation of Turtles
SEA LIFE is committed to helping save endangered turtles, working with the conservation group Earth, Sea & Sky, to build a turtle rescue centre in Zakynthos, Greece. All seven species of sea turtles are under threat of extinction mainly from waste in the sea, over-use of nesting grounds, large-scale commercial fishing operations.
Why turtles need your help?
For thousands of years endangered Loggerhead Turtles have returned to the Greek island of Zakynthos to breed and nest. Today, the island has been overrun with noisy clubs and excitable tourists unaware that their actions are threatening ancient breeding grounds of the Loggerhead Turtles.
Endangered sea turtles often mistake plastic bags floating in the sea for jellyfish. A third of adult Leatherbacks are estimated to have swallowed plastic. Help by making sure you never leave a plastic bag on the beach. It can get blown into the sea.