The marine turtles story

It’s our planet too, swimming great oceans is what we do…

Seven different species live here in the sea, some are quite huge and some are just teeny; 
Leatherback, Hawksbill, Green and Olive Ridley, Loggerhead, Flatback and the tiny Kemp’s Ridley.

 We’ve been on this earth for millions of years, friends with the dinos before they disappeared;
A real-life fossil is what we are, for years and years we’ve been travelling far.

 We plough through the water using our flippers, as fast as a car, we are super swimmers; 
We’re great navigators and swim for miles, crossing deep oceans to reach warm isles.

 Splashing in pools or a mangrove swamp, warm, shallow water is what we want.
We have no teeth but that won’t hold us back, munching our weight in just one snack;
We’re a hungry bunch and can chomp all day, snails, crab, squid or what lies in our way.

 We just come ashore to nest on dry land, burying our eggs in the soft warm sand;
Laying hundreds of eggs in just one go, hoping a few might survive and grow.

Once our eggs hatch the threats multiply, as we race to the sea the stakes are so high;
So few hatchlings ever reach full-size, the odds are against us, so many will die.

 Life as a turtle is tough from day one, but we’ll make old bones if we survive being young.
Our armour like shell is our very own shield, our body below is well concealed!

 Us predators keep our food chain in check, a balancing act that could soon be wrecked. 
Enchanting reefs and lush seagrass, an ocean of life would be a thing of the past.

 Fishing, poaching and sea temperature rise, a few of the threats causing our demise.
But the plastic that’s dumped in the sea each year, is truly becoming our biggest fear.

 Is that a jellyfish or a plastic bag, a yummy snack or a lethal gag?
A floating bag can look just like a fish, a plastic-free sea is our greatest wish.

 There’s only a few of us left on the planet, help save the seas, so we don’t have to panic.
We deserve a home outside of the zoo, after all, it’s our planet too!