This project seeks to explore the diversity of the seven species of sea turtles know to inhabit Earth’s oceans today, including ancestral roots, lifestyles, and variations in anatomy and physiology of each species.  I hypothesize that each of these sea turtle species are derived from one common ancestor of fresh water origin and that they have adapted over time to not only survive the treacherous depths of the deep-sea, but, as their size often indicates, thrive within it. I also suggest that all species are fairly similar, with but slight differences in physiology based upon where in the Earth’s vast body of water they dwell in and how deep. By looking at each of the seven species individually, the variations in size, color, habitat, and ancestral background should allow for the identification of a common ancestor; and the exploration of each species should enhance the awareness of these interesting, rather beautiful reptiles of the deep-sea. This project will look into how each species survives/thrives in its area of habitation, how it impacts the life of around it, and why/how its adaptations were made. From birth to adulthood, each species will be analyzed in an attempt to encompass the full spectrum of diversity found within sea turtles.

~NZ