A Sea Turtle’s Wild Home
Sea turtles are large reptiles that spend most of their lives in the ocean. They live in warm, salty waters around the world. These wild animals are built for swimming. A sea turtle has four flippers instead of feet. Its front flippers work like strong paddles to push it through waves. Its back flippers help it steer. A hard, smooth shell protects its body from ocean predators like sharks.
Even though sea turtles live in water, they breathe air with lungs. They must swim to the surface to take a breath. Some sea turtles can hold their breath underwater for several hours while they rest near coral reefs. Coral reefs provide great places to hide, rest, and find food such as crabs, sponges, and sea plants.
Female sea turtles leave the sea only to lay eggs. At night, a mother crawls onto a sandy beach. She uses her flippers to dig a deep pit in the dry sand. She lays round, soft eggs inside and covers them up before returning to the sea. Weeks later, the tiny hatchlings dig out of the sand and rush straight toward the dark ocean water.
- reptiles:
- Cold-blooded animals that have scaly skin and breathe air.
- flippers:
- Broad, flat limbs used by sea animals for swimming.
- predators:
- Animals that hunt and eat other animals to survive.
- hatchlings:
- Young animals that have recently come out of their eggs.
- surface:
- The top layer of a body of water.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Where do sea turtles live and spend most of their lives?
- 2What body parts do sea turtles have instead of feet?
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About this report passage for 2nd Grade
“A Sea Turtle’s Wild Home” is a report reading passage about Sea Turtles and Their Habitat, written for 2nd Grade. It takes about 2 minutes to read (257 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.