Sea turtles are fascinating animals that spend most of their lives in the ocean, but risk extreme amounts of danger to come onto the land to lay their eggs. Like any other turtles or tortoises, sea turtles are protected by the shell that covers the majority of their bodies and serves as a shelter if they detect a threat. Even though turtles have this natural defense system, it doesn’t provide complete protection, which is why most species of sea turtles are endangered or close to being endangered. There are a variety of different sea turtles, but one of the best-known types is the leatherback sea turtle, thanks to their distinctive appearance.