Turtles

At SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium

  • SEA LIFE, Day and Night on the Reef

Meet our Turtles

Here at SEA LIFE Sydney we have a loveable bunch of turtles that you can spot during your visit. Keep your eyes peeled!

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Dottie 2

Meet Dottie

Dottie was first discovered in August 2019 at Lake Macquarie, floating after a suspected boat strike that left her with a collapsed lung. Rescued by Australian Seabird Rescue, she spent nine months in care, during which she received an autologous blood transfusion to help treat the lung injury and underwent air aspirations to release excess air trapped beneath her carapace.
In late May 2020, she was successfully released at Norah Head. However, by late July, she was spotted again in Lake Macquarie, floating beneath a jetty. This time, she was transferred to Taronga for further care and, on September 4, moved to SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium.
Turtle at SEA LIFE Sydney

Meet Moana & Thorpey

Meet Moana and Thorpey, our adventurous Flatback sea turtles! Since their early days back in 2017, as hatchlings at SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium, they have been growing big and strong! In late 2024, they made the journey north to Sydney to take up residence in our refreshed Day and Night on the Reef Oceanarium. They enjoy a wide variety of food items, with both squid being their favourite.
Ernie Broad Shelled River Turtle

Meet Bertha

'Bertha' is one of our broad-shelled turtles. She is quite different looking from our other turtles, this is because she is a freshwater turtle! This species of turtle can be found in rivers all around NSW and preys on shrimps and yabbies. You can spot Bertha in our Lungfish exhibit alongside Archerfish and Garfish in our Jurassic Seas zone. 
Pignosed Turtle

Meet Bert

Meet Bert, our Pig-nosed Turtle. Bert was born in December 2017 and can be seen in the very first exhibit here at Sea Life Sydney Aquarium. The exhibit is kept at a balmy 28 °C, creating the perfect environment for this tropical turtle. A big fan of yabbies, Bert is a super-friendly and inquisitive character loves to interact with our divers while they clean his exhibit.

Turtle-y Terrific Facts

Sea Turtle Dave and Chong at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium

As old as Dinosaurs

Turtles are one of the oldest reptiles in the world and have been around for over 200 million years. That’s before dinosaurs were extinct - wow!

Turtle at Rescue centre in SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium

Is it a boy or a girl?

When the turtles have laid their eggs in the sand, the temperature of the sand will determine the sex of the babies. Lower temperatures will lead to males and higher temperatures will lead to females.

Giant Old Sea Turtle Underwater

The bold & the old

The largest species of sea turtle can weigh over a whopping 900kg and they also have an incredibly long lifespan. The oldest ever recorded was 188 years old!

Endangered and Vulnerable Green Sea Turtles

Conservation Status

There are 7 different species of sea turtle of which many are listed as endangered or vulnerable by the IUCN Red list. See below for the conservation status of the sea turtle species at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium. Green Sea turtle: Endangered Loggerhead turtle: Vulnerable

Plugga Video Tile

Plugga's Journey

Plugga, our Green Sea Turtle, travelled to SEA LIFE Sydney all the way from Coffs Harbour.Learn more about her journey in the video to the left.

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