Did you know that all species of sea turtles are either threatened or endangered? An especially critical time for these amazing animals is nesting season, which officially starts today in Florida, and lasts until Oct. 31.

TurtleTrek, opening April 27 at SeaWorld Orlando, will be home to two species of adult and juvenile sea turtles, as well as four Florida manatees and a stunning variety of tropical and native fish.

Back in February, we held a Facebook Fan naming contest for a rescued olive ridley sea turtle. In a landslide victory, the turtle was the named “Paradise Fears” for the exciting young rock-pop band from Vermillion, South Dakota. While working in nearby Los Angeles the band dropped by to meet their true namesake sea turtle. They even got to help with the turtle’s check up. The olive ridley turtle is expected to be returned to the wild later this year and we hope the band will be back for the send off!

Take an insider's look at how SeaWorld Orlando returns a rehabilitated sea turtle back into its natural environment. Learn from turtle expert, Dan Conklin, what this sub-adult loggerhead suffered from and how SeaWorld prepared it for its return and how you, too, can help save turtles.

We know you’ve waited patiently and now we have great news to share! The grand opening of TurtleTrek at SeaWorld Orlando will be Friday, April 27.

Olive ridley sea turtles are olive/grayish-green with a heart-shaped top shell (carapace). They weigh up to 100 pounds, but are considered relatively small compared to other species of sea turtles. The olive ridley is omnivorous, meaning it feeds on a wide variety of food items, including algae, lobster, crabs, mollusks, shrimp and jellyfish.

After being in SeaWorld San Diego’s care undergoing life-saving medical treatment since Jan. 25, 2011, Bruce the Pacific green sea turtle was returned to San Diego Bay last week.

It’s official: Turtle Reef is open to the public! Today (June 18, 2011) SeaWorld San Diego’s Park President John Reilly and local conservation organizations commemorated the opening by cutting a kelp ribbon in front of hundreds of park guests, who were among the first to see threatened and endangered sea turtles swimming in their brand new 300,000-gallon aquarium.

Loggerhead sea turtle release.

On Tuesday, July 20, 2010 SeaWorld transported 19 endangered green and Kemp's Ridley sea turtles to the park's rehabilitation facility for health issues directly related to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This is the story of their journey: