Book 6, Question 132
Why Do Sea Turtles Eat Bags?
Sea turtles eat jellyfish. A pale plastic bag floating in the water can look a lot like one. But a bag can block a turtle's gut, and that can make the turtle very sick.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 6
More fun facts
- Sea turtles most often try to eat plastic sheets and plastic bags, which may look like the jellyfish they hunt.
- A floating plastic bag can even smell like food to a sea turtle, a kind of smell trap.
- Green turtles may swallow fishing line, balloons and plastic pieces by mistake.
- Green turtles mostly eat seagrass and algae.
- Experts are still not entirely sure why sea turtles eat plastic.
Sources: NOAA, BBC, NOAA, Smithsonian Magazine
Questions kids ask
Why might a plastic bag fool a sea turtle?
It can look like a jellyfish and even smell like food.