When you think of saving the turtles, the first thing that many people think of is buying a reusable straw, but eliminating the use of plastic straws is not the solution to eliminating the endangerment of sea turtles. These are ancient animals that have been on the earth for 110 million years. Scientists believe that sea turtles come from land turtles and fresh turtles that lived about 230 million years ago and evolved into what they are. These majestic creatures were alive during the time of dinosaurs. These creatures are being threatened by us though, through, bycatch in commercial fishing gear, illegal trade, coastal habitat infringement, and pollution.  There are seven different species of sea turtles and all of them are in some way endangered and many are considered to be threatened.

This all sounds despairing, sea turtles are endangered after millions of years on the planet. But the amazing thing is, you can make a difference and help these animals. The simplest things that you can do are to simply clean up after yourself at the beach and when fishing to reduce marine debris. Trash such as plastic bags and ghost gear can be very harmful to these creatures. In addition, trash on the beach can be very disorienting to hatchlings and can deter nesting females. Another way to help would be to remove your beach equipment at night, knock down your sandcastles, and fill in holes that you dig so that there are fewer obstacles. If you want to make an even bigger difference you could participate in coastal cleanups and get your family and friends to do it with you. There is an app that you can download called Ocean Conservatory and on here you can find ocean cleanups to participate in to make a difference. A great way to make a difference is to raise awareness, the more people know, the more likely they will be to clean up the beach and create a more unpolluted environment. Sea turtles have been a long-living, ancient species and they will continue to be as long as people are conscious of their actions and persistent in their missions to help these animals.

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