Sea Turtles - Disney Animals

Guests can see spectacular green sea turtles and loggerhead sea turtles at the The Seas with Nemo & Friends at Epcot.

Sea Turtles in the Wild
Sea turtles live in warm oceans around the world. They find their food on shallow seagrass beds, coral reefs and the open ocean, but sea turtles can migrate long distances between their feeding grounds and the nesting beaches where females return to lay eggs.

Our sea turtles enjoy custom diets and an expansive habitat.

A Rich Underwater World
At The Seas with Nemo & Friends, sea turtle species share the 5.7 million gallon (21.6 million liter) saltwater aquarium habitat with thousands of other animals. Our Disney-made coral reef offers strategic spaces for the turtles to swim, explore, hide, rest and interact with other species much as they would in the wild.

You Are What You Eat
Our green sea turtles enjoy a veggie diet, consuming about 20 pounds of lettuce and cabbage each day. They get their name because of the color of the fat under their shells—they eat so much seagrass in the wild that their fat turns green.

Loggerhead turtles are carnivores, so their daily diet includes squid and herring—plus a specially formulated sea turtle vitamin.

Veterinary Care and Animal Training
The animal care experts at The Seas with Nemo & Friends use positive training techniques to encourage desired behaviors that assist in caring for the turtles. The sea turtles come to the surface of the aquarium at feeding times when signaled, which helps the animal care experts monitor the animals’ diets and provides the opportunity to do a visual inspection of each animal.

The Walt Disney Company is passionately committed to the protection of sea turtles and their ocean habitats.

Threats to Sea Turtles
Six of the world’s 7 sea turtle species are found in U.S. waters, and all 6 are protected under the Endangered Species Act and international treaties. Historically, harvests of sea turtles for their shells, meat and eggs have caused their populations to decline.

An Ocean of Obstacles
Today, threats to sea turtles include accidental boat strikes, entanglement in the nets and lines of commercial fishing boats (called bycatch), water pollution from oil spills and fertilizer runoff, discarded balloons and plastics that turtles mistake for food, and coastal habitat destruction from seawalls and beach development.

In some countries, sea turtle eggs are harvested and eaten, and the turtles are killed for their meat and shells to make jewelry and other luxury items.

Against the Odds
Newly hatched sea turtles face additional obstacles like sand castles, beach furniture and trash left behind on the beach which can block their path from their nest to the sea. Additionally, lights from nearby buildings and roads can lead hatchlings in the wrong direction away from the water.

Sea Turtle Research
Support from the Disney Conservation Fund has helped nonprofit organizations protect sea turtles globally by increasing public awareness of threats to sea turtles, monitoring sea turtle populations, and restoring marine habitat and beach nesting areas.

Turtle Rehab at Epcot
Disney’s Animal, Science and Environment team has nursed more than 300 endangered sea turtles back to health and returned them to the sea. The Seas with Nemo & Friends at Epcot acts as a rehabilitation center for local sea turtles injured by boat strikes, entanglement or illness.

Once recovered, healthy sea turtles are released back into the ocean—often with a custom-fit satellite transmitter that allows scientists to track their movements and better understand their conservation needs.

The Story of Little Crush
One day, a small and very sick green sea turtle washed ashore near Melbourne Beach, Florida and was brought to Epcot, where Disney’s veterinary care team found that “Little Crush” had swallowed over 70 pieces of marine litter, from balloons and plastic bags to monofilament line and string. His rehabilitation at Epcot was successful, and the 5-pound turtle was released back into the ocean at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort.

Turtle Nesting at Vero Beach
Disney’s Vero Beach Resort is a special place for nesting sea turtles and for the conservation science, protection and outreach needed to ensure their survival. The Disney Conservation Team collaborates with state and local organizations to monitor nest counts and hatchling production, study solutions to threats and develop innovative protection methods.