What Do Sea Turtles Eat?

Sea turtles eat a broad range of diets. Each sea turtle species has uniquely evolved to different environments and available food depending. Sea turtles therefore play a vital role in ocean ecosystems, affecting the diversity and function of ocean habitats by what they eat. Common for them all is that they all lack teeth!

The Specific Diet of Each Sea Turtle Species

Flatback Diet

Goniobranchus gleniei nudibranch, Maldives. Image. — *Nudibranches, or sea slugs, are a favourite of flatbacks. This is a Goniobranchus gleniei. ©Stephanie Köhnk*

Flatbacks are mainly carnivorous, feeding in shallow waters on soft bottoms. Little is known about this species’ diet throughout their lifetime, but juveniles and adults are known to eat snails, jellyfish, corals and other soft bodied invertebrates.

Green Turtle Diet

Green turtle eating seagrass, Maldives. Image. — *Green turtle eating seagrass, Maldives.*

Green turtles are vegetarian and prefer sea grasses, sea weeds and algae as adults, however, green turtle hatchlings are omnivorous, eating jellyfish, snails, crabs, and shrimp.

Hawksbill Diet

Hawksbill sea turtle foraging on a reef, Baa Atoll, Maldives. Image. — *Hawksbill turtle foraging on a reef, Baa Atoll, Maldives.*

Hawksbills have a bird-like beak that is used to cut through soft coral, anemones and sea sponges.

Kemp’s Ridley Diet

Trapezia lutea orange coral crab. Image — *Coral crabs (Trapezia lutea) form part of the kemp’s ridley diet. ©Stephanie Köhnk*

Kemp’s ridleys are omnivores at the beginning of their lives, feeding on seaweed and small creatures like crabs and snails. As adults, Kemp’s ridleys look for food on the seabed, feeding on crustaceans, fish, molluscs, squids and jellyfish.

Leatherback Diet

Jelly fish, Kenya. Image — *Jelly fish in Kenya. ©Joana Hancock*

Leatherbacks feed mostly on jellyfish.

Loggerhead Diet

Loggerhead sea turtles eat a variety of prey depending on their life stage. Image. — *A juvenile loggerhead feeding on tuna.*

Loggerheads are carnivores, feeding on a variety of prey depending on their life stage but mainly on hard-shelled organisms such as lobsters, crustaceans, and fish.

Olive Ridley Diet

Turtle patient Azura eating lobster. Image. — *Turtle patient Azura, an olive ridley, eating lobster.*

Olive ridleys are omnivorous, mostly eating jellyfish, snails, crabs, and shrimp but they will occasionally eat algae and seaweed as well.