Partner Series
What Do Turtles Eat?
Credit: GSTC Turtle Patrol.



What a turtle eats depends on its species — specifically, what kind of jaw it has for masticating (chewing) food, where it lives and what food sources are available to it. Sea turtles, depending on the species, may eat seagrasses, algae, sponges, sea squirts, squid, shrimp, crabs, jellyfish, cuttlefish or sea cucumbers. For instance, leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea), which can reach a whopping 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms) use their scissorlike jaws to munch on a jellyfish-only diet, according to the Sea Turtle Conservancy. Green sea turles (Chelonia myadis), on the other hand, are herbivores that feed on algae and seagrasses.

A freshwater turtle's diet is just as varied and may include worms, snails, insect larvae, aquatic insects, crustaceans, water plants, algae and fallen fruit. Some species of freshwater turtles, such as snapping turtles, also eat small mammals, frogs, snakes, fish and even other, smaller turtles, according to Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.


