Sea turtles cry but they are not sad

Sea turtles appear to cry on the beach but it is not emotion. Behind each eye is a salt gland that pumps out excess salt from drinking seawater. When a female comes ashore to nest, the glands overflow and look like tears streaming down. That salty discharge keeps their blood balanced without wasting freshwater. Hatchlings do it too as they sprint to the sea. The myth of the sad turtle comes from this survival plumbing. What looks like weeping is actually a reptile desalination plant in action.