Why do sea turtles lay their eggs on the beach?

Baby sea turtle on beach

Phenomenon Description:  Sea turtles come to North Carolina beaches in the summer (May to August) to lay their eggs. 
Location:  Dare County, Outer Banks
Grade Level or Course: Grade 4  
Question:  Why do sea turtles lay their eggs on the beach instead of in the ocean?
Other related questions about the phenomenon:
How do the eggs stay safe from predators?
How do humans help sea turtles survive?
Do all sea turtles in the world nest on beaches?
Crosscutting Concepts:  Cause and Effect: Mechanism & Explanation
Science Domain: Life Science 

NC Standard: LS.4.1 Understand the effects of environmental changes, adaptations, and behaviors that enable organisms to survive in changing habitats.
NC Objective: LS.4.1.3 Engage in argument from evidence to explain how differences among animals of the same population sometimes gives individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing in changing habitats.

Photo by Meg von Haartman on Unsplash

Additional Resources:
Sea Turtles:
https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/reptiles/sea-turtles
How do sea turtles hatch?
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/turtle-hatch.html
https://www.nps.gov/caha/learn/nature/seaturtles.htm


 

Related Topics