Seaturtles: Cheloniidae

Seaturtles inhabit all the oceans of the world and the Mediterranean Sea.

These turtles live in saltwater from the tropics to areas with mild climates well north and south of the equator, the imaginary circle around Earth that is midway between the poles. They are more common close to shore than far out to sea, and they feed and nest at sites along the coastlines on continental shelves, or shallow plains forming the borders of continents.

Humans have long sought seaturtles and seaturtle eggs as food. Some people make the eggshells into trinkets. Adult leatherback seaturtles are also prized for their skins.