Editing Sea turtle (section)

== Distribution and habitat ==
Sea turtles can be found in all oceans except for the polar regions. The [[flatback sea turtle]] is found solely on the northern coast of [[Australia]]. The [[Kemp's ridley sea turtle]] is found solely in the [[Gulf of Mexico]] and along the [[East Coast of the United States]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/marine_turtles_factsheet2006.pdf|title=Ancient mariners threatened with extinction}}</ref>

Sea turtles are generally found in the waters over [[continental shelf|continental shelves]]. During the first three to five years of life, sea turtles spend most of their time in the [[pelagic zone]] floating in [[seaweed]] mats. [[Green sea turtle]]s in particular are often found in ''[[Sargassum]]'' mats, in which they find food, [[wikt:shelter|shelter]] and water.<ref name="PelagicDev" /> Once the sea turtle has reached adulthood it moves closer to the shore.<ref name="LS20070918" /> Females will come ashore to lay their eggs on sandy beaches during the nesting season.<ref name="WWFSeaturtles">{{cite web |title = WWF – Marine Turtles|work = Species Factsheets|publisher = World Wide Fund for Nature|date = 4 May 2007|url = http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/species/about_species/species_factsheets/marine_turtles/index.cfm|access-date = 13 September 2007}}</ref>

Sea turtles migrate to reach their spawning beaches, which are limited in numbers. Living in the ocean therefore means they usually migrate over large distances. All sea turtles have large body sizes, which is helpful for moving large distances. Large body sizes also offer good protection against the large predators (notably sharks) found in the ocean.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Jaffe | first1 = A. L. | last2 = Slater | first2 = G. J. | last3 = Alfaro | first3 = M. E. | year = 2011 | title = The evolution of island gigantism and body size variation in tortoises and turtles | journal =Biology Letters | volume = 7 | issue = 4| pages = 558–561 | doi=10.1098/rsbl.2010.1084 | pmid=21270022 | pmc=3130210}}</ref>

In 2020, diminished human activity resulting from the [[COVID-19]] virus caused an increase in sea turtle nesting. Some areas in [[Thailand]] saw an abnormally high number of nests, and Florida experienced a similar phenomenon. Less plastic and light pollution could explain these observations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/thailand-sea-turtles-coronavirus-scli-intl-scn/index.html|title=Sea turtles thriving in Thailand after beach closures|author1=By Jack Guy |author2=Carly Walsh|website=CNN|date=20 April 2020 |language=en|access-date=2020-04-20}}</ref>