World Turtle Day

World Turtle Day. Today is World Turtle Day and we must do everything that we can to combat the plastic pollution that is causing so much damage to our oceans and the turtles that inhabit them.

World Turtle Day – Ten Facts about Turtles courtesy of WWF

1. Turtles don’t have teeth. Instead, their upper and lower jaws have sheaths made of keratin (the same stuff your fingernails are made of) that fit onto the skull like a pair of false teeth.

2. Turtle shells are made of over 50 bones fused together – so they’re literally wearing their bones on the outside.

3. The first few years of a marine turtle’s life are often referred to as the ‘lost years’. That’s because the time between when the hatchlings emerge until they return to coastal shallow waters to forage is incredibly difficult to study. The lost years they spend at sea – which can be up to 20 years – largely remain a mystery to humans.

4. Marine turtle species vary greatly in size. The smallest, Kemp’s ridley, are around 70cm long and up to 40kg in weight whilst the leatherback can reach up to 180cm and 500kg in weight. That’s over 10 times heavier!

5. It’s estimated that as few as 1 in 1,000 marine turtle eggs will survive to adulthood. And if beaches are strewn with litter, it can prevent hatchlings reaching the sea.

6. Female leatherbacks make some interesting noises when they are nesting – some of which sound similar to a human belch.

7. Turtles seem to prefer red, orange and yellow coloured food. They appear to investigate these colours more than others when looking for a meal.

8. Marine turtles can migrate long distances – the record is for a female leatherback that swam nearly 13,000 miles over 647 days from Indonesia to the west coast of America!

9. Female marine turtles return to the same beach they hatched on to nest. Marine turtles’ amazing ability to navigate comes from their sensitivity to the Earth’s magnetic fields.

10. Even with all these amazing features and adaptations, six out of the seven species of marine turtle are threatened with extinction, and the seventh is listed as data deficient.

Did you know that we actually have turtle urns?

Ours are handmade in Mexico and are 100% biodegradable which means you can put them into the water. You can find them here.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is it ok to keep your pet’s ashes?

Many people keep their pet’s ashes at home, some because they are not sure what to do with them, some because they are not yet ready to do something with them and some simply want to keep them close by, in the house.

Sometimes, very well meaning, friends will give advice such as ‘it’s time to move on’ or ‘you’ll feel better if you scatter/bury them’. You are the only one who will know how you feel about the loss of your pet. And only you will know when and if the time is right to do something, if ever, with their ashes.

Until then a simple scatter tube or beautiful urn will keep them safe.

Should I turn my pets ashes to jewellery?

As long as you have a teaspoon of your pet’s ashes you can create a beautiful and unique pendant, ring, earring, bracelet, charm or tie-pin from them. We work with some of Devon’s most talented jewellers to make stunning pet memorial jewellery. You can find out more here.

What type of pet urn is best for my pet’s ashes?

The most important thing to think about when choosing your pet urn is size. You need to make sure that your pet urn will hold all your pet’s ashes. You can read my article about correct sized pet urns here. Are you going to keep your pet’s ashes in your garden or your home? You can read about the different options here.

For garden urns you will find everything you need to know here. If you are keeping the urn indoors then you will need to decide what you is going to work best in your home. We have a wide range of pet urns to suit all homes and decor schemes.

How to overcome pet loss?

I wish I could tell you that you will overcome the loss of your pet in a year. But I can’t. Each pet loss is completely different. Each pet bereavement takes it’s own time and will vary in the intensity and the length of time to cope. There are lots of practical things that you can do to help yourself.