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“For most of the wild things on Earth, the future must 

depend upon the conscience of mankind”

~ Dr. Archie Carr, father of modern marine turtle biology and conservation

Earth loses hundreds of species every year, and many of these losses are 

the result of human activity. Some of these species may have held the 

key to curing cancer, or feeding everyone on the planet, or improving our 

lives in ways we can’t even imagine. But we’ll never know, because they 

are gone.

Congress passed the Endangered Species Act (ESA) on December 28, 

1973, recognizing that the natural heritage of the United States was 

of “esthetic, ecological, educational, recreational, and scientifi c value 

to our Nation and its people.” It was understood that, without protection, many of our nation’s living resources would become extinct.

Protecting endangered species needs everyone’s help, and the fi rst step is 

getting people to recognize the problem.

What You Will Do 

Make origami models of whales and turtles 

Here’s an activity that can help introduce the topic of endangered species, particularly whales and sea turtles.

What You Will Need

❒ 8 1/2 x 11 inches sheets of colored paper (one for each animal)

❒ Scissors

Warning

Be careful with sharp scissors.

Humpback whales in the singing position. Courtesy Dr. Louis M. Herman, NOAA

Endangered SpeciesOrigami
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 119

Science | Service | STEWARDSHIP Protect the Eart

1. Begin by making a square 

piece of paper. Fold one corner of a piece of paper over 

to the adjacent side.

2. Like this. Finish making the 

square by cutting off the 

small rectangle.

3. Fold side to side and unfold. 

This is the “valley fold” or 

“river.”

4. Turn over and fold right and 

left points down to form a 

“roof.”

5. Like this. Then turn over.

How to Make an Origami Sea Turtle

6. Bring the folded edges to 

meet the valley fold (the 

river). Crease flat.

7. Unfold the top side points.

8. Like this.

9. Fold the top point down as 

shown.

10. Fold the point upward to 

create a head.

11. Lift the bottom edge to meet 

the vertical center line.

12. Like this. Press flat and fold 

outward as shown.

13. Repeat steps 11 and 12 with 

the other foot.

14. Turn over. You’ve made a 

turtle!

Origami illustrations courtesy Matt McIntosh, NOAA
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120

1. Begin by making a square 

piece of paper. Fold one corner of a piece of paper over 

to the adjacent side.

2. Like this. Finish making the 

square by cutting off the 

small rectangle.

3. Put a square of paper on the 

table so it looks like a diamond. Fold side to side and 

unfold.

4. Fold the lower left and right 

sides to meet the center 

crease.

5. It looks like an ice-cream 

cone. Now fold the top point 

down, as shown.

6. Fold the right side over to 

meet the left side.

7. Put your finger on the bottom 

point as you turn the whale 

sideways.

8. Fold the end point up to make 

a tail.

9. Like this.

10. Make a short cut through 

the end of the fold in the 

tail. Fold the edges of the 

tail outwards. 

11. Like this.

12. Draw eyes, fins and any 

other patterns you like.

Origami illustrations courtesy Matt McIntosh, NOAA

How to Make an Origami Blue Whale
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 121

Science | Service | STEWARDSHIP PROTECT THE EARTH

p Sea turtles have been on the planet since 

the early Mesozoic era almost 180 million 

years ago! They survived the great dinosaur 

extinction during the Cretaceous era, and 

fl ourished until recent times.

p There are six species of sea turtles commonly 

found in the United States in the Atlantic, 

Gulf of Mexico, and Pacifi c: 

4 Leatherback

4 Loggerhead

4 Kemp’s Ridley

4 Hawksbill 

4 Green

 4 Olive Ridley 

p Sea turtles eat a variety of organisms, including algae, seagrasses, sponges, crustaceans, 

jellyfi sh and mollusks. 

p Adult green turtles are unique among sea 

turtles in that they eat only plants; they are 

herbivorous, feeding primarily on seagrasses 

and algae. This diet is thought to give them 

greenish-colored fat, from which they take 

their name.

p Sea turtles have a unique life history. They 

are highly migratory, often swim long distances, live long lives, take a long time to 

reach maturity, and the females crawl ashore 

to dig nests and lay eggs.

p What’s the problem? Sea turtles are 

threatened by:

4 Loss of habitat and nesting areas due to 

coastal development

4 Incidental capture (bycatch) in commercial 

and recreational fi sheries

4 Being caught in or eating marine debris 

4 Being hit by ships

p NOAA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

are working together to conserve and help 

marine turtles recover, along with other 

federal agencies, state partners, coastal 

communities, private individuals, and other 

nations.

p Some things being done to conserve sea 

turtles:

4 Requiring certain types of fi shing vessels to 

use fi shing gear that prevents accidental 

capture of sea turtles

4 Protecting and restoring prime nesting 

habitat along key coastal areas

4 Reduce entanglement in and ingestion of 

marine debris by sea turtles

4 Ensure coastal construction activities avoid 

nesting and hatching periods 

4 Supporting regulations to control artifi -

cial lights near turtle nesting beaches 

(artifi cial lights can disorient sea turtle 

hatchlings)

4 Working with other countries to conserve 

sea turtles throughout their range

p What can you do to help? 

4 Avoid sea turtles when you go out in a 

boat.

4 Do not anchor your boat in seagrass beds 

where sea turtles rest and eat.

4 Properly dispose of your garbage no matter where you live. It all fl ows downstream to the ocean.

4 Minimize all your lights at the beach 

(campfi res, fl ash lights, house lighting).

4 Celebrate events without balloon releases.

Learn as much as you can about sea turtles, the 

threats to the them, and their conservation. 

Share your knowledge with friends and family.

For more about sea turtle biology, status and the 

threats that face them, visit the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Web site: www.fws.gov/northfl orida/SeaTurtles/20090700_You_Can_Help_

ST.pdf. 

Sea Turtle Facts

Green Turtle Hawksbill Turtle

Caroline Rogers, USGS

Caroline Rogers, USGS
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p Whales are 

the largest 

animals that 

ever lived on 

the Earth. They are even larger than the 

dinosaurs of prehistoric times. 

p All whales belong to a group known as cetaceans (seh TAY shuhnz). There are two types 

of whales—toothed (odontocete) and baleen 

(mysticete). Baleen is a special fi lter that 

whales use to sieve tiny food particles from 

the water.

p Today, there are 78 species of whales swimming in the oceans around the world; 67 

species are toothed and 11 are baleen.

p Whales are large, intelligent, marine mammals. They breathe air through a blowhole 

into lungs, are warm-blooded, and give birth 

to their young as opposed to laying eggs. 

p Many ceteaceans, especially baleen whales, 

migrate over very long distances each year. 

They travel, sometimes in groups (pods), 

from coldwater feeding grounds to warm-water breeding grounds. Gray whales make the 

longest seasonal migration of any of the 

whales—about 12,500 miles each year!

p The biggest whale is the blue whale, which 

grows to be about 94 feet (29 m) long —the 

height of a 9-story building. These enormous 

animals eat about 4 tons of krill (microscopic fl oating animals) each day, obtained by 

fi lter-feeding through baleen. 

p The smallest whale is the dwarf sperm whale, 

which as an adult is only 8.5 feet (2.6 m) 

long. 

p Adult blue whales have no predators except 

man. Almost all species of baleen whales 

were exploited by the commercial whaling 

industry from the 1700s to the mid-1900s. 

Several species of both toothed and baleen 

whales were hunted close to extinction. Most 

populations have not yet recovered from 

intense hunting and still face threats to their 

survival from human activities.

p Many baleen whales are in danger of being hit 

by ships, particularly the critically endangered Northern right whale. 

p Being tangled in various types of fi shing 

gear is a serious threat to several species of 

cetaceans.

p NOAA works 

to protect and 

conserve whales 

because all whales 

are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and 

some are also protected under the Endangered Species Act. 

p NOAA’s eff orts to protect and conserve whales 

include legislation, National Marine Sanctuaries and other marine protected areas. 

NOAA also works with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on issues concerning whales and 

other ceteaceans. 

Want to Do More?

For more information, visit: 

NOAA’s Marine Mammals Program:

www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/

NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuaries: 

sanctuaries.noaa.gov/ – 

NOS’ What is a Marine Protected Area? oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/mpa.html

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: www.fws.gov/

refuges/whm/coastalandmarine.html

Whale Facts

p p

to protect and 

conserve whales 

because all whales Humpback whale breaching Killer whale shyhopping

Courtesy NOAA Courtesy NOAA