Most children are quite familiar with turtles (especially sea turtles) if they have seen Disney's very popular Finding Nemo. Along the journey to find Nemo, we are introduced to sea turtles Crush and his son Squirt two very cool sea animals on their own ocean journey. Sales of turtle stuffed animals undoubtedly rose significantly after the release of the film. And why shouldn't they have? A turtle stuffed animal is every bit a comfort to a child as teddy bears are. Online, you can purchase a sea turtle stuffed animal that is two feet in length that makes for one fantastic substitute pillow.
There are seven species of sea turtle which live in just about every ocean in the world from subtropical to tropical waters. All of their lives are spent in the water except when females come ashore several times a year, to lay their eggs. Eggs hatch in about 60 days at which time the babies (called hatchlings), make their way to the water. Young sea turtles spend the first few years of their lives in the open ocean and then eventually make their way to more protected areas such as bays and estuaries. While it might be a lovely thought to take a sea turtle stuffed animal into the water with you, they won't take too kindly to getting their soft, plush fur wet.
Each species of sea turtle has a different diet; green sea turtles eat sea grass; leatherback turtles eat jelly-fish and other animals with soft bodies; loggerhead turtles dine on shelled creatures like clams and crabs; hawksbills prefer sponges and other invertebrates; Kemp's ridley turtles eat crabs.
Sea turtles have been around for more than 100 million years; even when dinosaurs became extinct 65
million years ago, turtles still managed to survive. Unfortunately, like many animals in the world today, sea turtles are in danger of disappearing altogether. They often get caught in fishermen's nets which ultimately has dire consequences for them when they are unable to free themselves. In addition, much of their habitat is being lost due to the over abundance of coastal development that is taking place critical nesting sites end up disappearing. And, in some places in the world, turtles are hunted for their meat, shells and even their eggs.
One way to pay homage to sea turtles, is to make a point of purchasing a sea turtle stuffed animal the next time your child requests a plush toy. Even if they haven't seen Finding Nemo, they will undoubtedly become quite attached to their turtle stuffed animal the same they would with a teddy bear.
While a turtle stuffed animal is a less traditional type of plush toy, it can still bring much joy to any child that has one.
Angeline Hope is a collector of large stuffed animal toys. You can view a selection of large stuffed animals including turtle stuffed animals at MyBigPlush.
More Facts About Animals Articles
