Year 3 look at the types of turtles that inhabit St Lucia

Our topic in Year this term has been St Lucia and we have looked at the climate and physical features of St Lucia as well as discussing what life was like for a banana farmer. Next on the list was to look at turtles. We looked at the types of turtles that inhabit St Lucia - the Green, Hawksbill and Leatherback - and how the odds are stacked against them for survival. We learnt that out of every 1000 eggs only 2 will survive to lay eggs.

In pairs we were given a template of a turtle, on which we put interesting facts. We took turns to choose a fact that we liked and then wrote them on to the turtles body.

We watched a video in which a marine biologist managed to rescue 5 turtle hatchlings that we lost and disoriented on the beach. He told us that they were a protected species and that he was allowed to touch them because of his job. They were so cute and we loved how they raced into the surf after being rescued.

Turtles are killed for their eggs, meat, skin and shells as well as their habitat being polluted and accidentally caught in fishing nets. They can also sometimes mistake plastic bags for jellyfish which they eat and then become unwell.

The good news is they are a protected species and with the help of the WWF, hopefully they will survive for future generations to enjoy.