It's a little like clamping down on cocaine smugglers. Too The problem is nearly as pressing in the United States as it is in less developed countries. But more than 7 million turtles are exported from the United States every year as food or pets. Freshwater turtles seem to have fared better than sea turtles, with only one species, a small turtle in Mexico, becoming extinct this century. The situation is much more grim for sea turtles and tortoises, all of which are endangered, according to Anders Rhodin, director of the Chelonian Research Foundation in Florida.
Sea turtles are the stuff that legends are made of.
One species, the leatherback, can weigh as much as 1,200 pounds. Some are believed to live more than 100 years, which probably accounts for the myth that eating them can add years to a person's life. Ironically, the fact that some turtles live so long can work against their survival. And turtles tend to be set in their ways, like a lot of older folks, so they are less likely to adapt to changes in their environment. That makes them pretty easy pickings for people who come along the beach and take advantage of the adults or even harvest the eggs.