How do sea turtles breathe underwater?

As sea turtles are air breathing reptiles, they need to surface to breathe. Sea turtles can hold their breath for several hours, depending upon the level of activity. A resting or sleeping turtle can remain underwater for 4-7 hours. read more

Some species of turtles can absorb oxygen from the water, allowing them to stay underwater for long periods of time without coming up for air. The length of time they can stay underwater depends on species and temperature. Sea turtles, for example, can remain underwater for four to seven hours at rest. read more

Turtles have a set of lungs that it can breathe with. As its activity increases so does its demand for air. The turtle, depending on the species can hold its breath underwater for a long time. Most species can hold their breath anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours. read more

For the eggs to survive and have a chance of hatching, sea turtles must lay their eggs on sandy beaches. As they are developing, the embryos breathe air through a membrane in the eggs, and so they cannot survive if they are continuously covered with water. read more