Sea turtles have a diverse diet that varies depending on the species and life stage. Some sea turtles are omnivores, eating both plants and animals, while others are specialists, subsisting primarily on one type of prey. Here are some examples of what different species of sea turtles eat:

• Green turtles: As adults, they are herbivores and prefer to eat sea grasses, seaweed, and algae. However, green turtle hatchlings are omnivorous and eat jellyfish, snails, crabs, and shrimp.

• Leatherback turtles: They are gelatinivores, meaning they feed almost exclusively on jellyfish and other soft-bodied invertebrates that float in the water column.

• Loggerhead turtles: They are carnivores and feed on a variety of prey, including crabs, conchs, whelks, and horseshoe crabs. Hard-shelled organisms such as lobsters, crustaceans, and fish are their preferred prey.

• Hawksbill turtles: They are spongivores, meaning they have a specialized diet that consists almost entirely of sponges. They use their bird-like beak to access cracks on coral reefs to reach sea sponges.

• Kemps ridley turtles: They are carnivores and feed on a variety of prey, including seaweed, crustaceans, fish, mollusks, squids, and jellyfish.

• Olive ridley turtles: They are omnivores and eat a variety of prey, including jellies, sea cucumbers, fish, and a wide range of other animals and plants.

• Flatback turtles: They are mainly carnivorous and feed on snails, jellyfish, corals, and other soft-bodied invertebrates. Little is known about their diet throughout their lifetime.

Sea turtles do not have teeth to help them eat. Instead, they have keratinous beaks with varying structures to accommodate their diets. For example, green sea turtles have finely serrated beaks that enable them to scrape algae off rocks and tear grasses and seaweeds.