Keep these fun facts and tips handy for your next sea turtle encounter:

• Not crocodile tears, turtle tears! Mother turtles are often observed weeping during the nesting period. Scientists believe female sea turtles cry as a way to secrete salt from their bodies.

• Of all the marine turtles, Green sea turtles are the only herbivores.

• Leatherbacks do not posses a hard top shell; instead, firm leathery skin covers loose-locking bones.

• A green-colored alga consumed by sea turtles causes its fat to turn the same color, hence the name Green sea turtle.

• Loggerhead turtles are the most common species of sea turtles found in Florida. Loggerheads get their name from the large, block-like shape of their heads.

• Sea Turtles are toothless animals. Instead they use powerful beak-like jaws to crush, bite and tear food.

• Not just your everyday cleaning utensil, ocean sponges are the preferred source of nutrition for the Hawksbill sea turtle.

• Rancho Nuevo beach (Mexico) is the only major nesting site in the world for the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle. Because this species tends to nest at the same time, baby turtles emerge from the sand in unison. This mass nesting and hatching event is known as arriba the Spanish word for arrival.

Resources for this article have been provided by the Caribbean Conservation Corporation and Sea Turtle League, Wikipedia and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.