Released in 2003, Pixar’s “Finding Nemo” remains a beloved animated classic. Its depiction of marine life is both entertaining and educational, with characters that mirror their real-life counterparts in fascinating ways.
The Story
The film’s protagonist, Marlin, is a clownfish who lives with his son, Nemo, in an anemone. This is an accurate representation of clownfish, who inhabit anemone-filled seabeds in reality. The film also introduces us to sea turtles who aid Marlin in his quest to find Nemo.
The Turtles
The father sea turtle is named Crush, and his son is Squirt. Crush is depicted as a 150-year-old sea turtle, while Squirt is just a baby turtle, likely only a few years old. Both of them enjoy riding the East Australian Current (EAC).
Species and Diet
Crush is a green sea turtle, a species found throughout the Atlantic Ocean. These turtles travel thousands of miles to find suitable places for nesting and foraging. As adult green sea turtles are herbivores, Crush wouldn’t consider Marlin and Dory as food.
Green sea turtles primarily feed on seagrasses and algae. However, juvenile green sea turtles also consume small crustaceans, insects, and worms. As they mature, green sea turtles become entirely herbivorous, feeding exclusively on seagrasses and algae.
Personality and Behavior
Crush might give off the vibe of a turtle who is high, but the scriptwriters have clarified that the character was inspired by the image of a laid-back surfer dude who takes life easy. Despite this, some Disney fans believe that Crush was definitely high.
Crush is a surfer dude who enjoys riding EAC currents and teaching his son, Squirt, to do the same. He also likes helping others. One thing Crush dislikes is getting his shell dirty, which is why he tells Marlin and Dory, “No hurling on the shell dude, okay? Just waxed it.”
Crush’s Family
Though it isn’t shown in the movie, in reality, turtles do not have a single mating partner. Male and female sea turtles mate with several partners in a single mating season, breeding on a first-come-first-serve basis. So, it could even be said that Squirt might not be Crush’s actual son.
Crush in Other Movies
Based on the timeline, Moana is from the early 1800s, and Finding Nemo is from the 2000s. So, there is no way that Crush would survive that long (even for a turtle). He also mentions being 150 years old in the Finding Nemo movie, which doesn’t add up to the calculations. But it could be Crush’s grandfather in the movie Moana. This, however, is just speculation.
Fun Facts
Despite the movie “Finding Nemo” showing Crush’s age to be 150 years, the record for the oldest green turtle in real life is only 90 years old. It is held by Myrtle, who lives in the Giant Ocean Tank.
Green sea turtles can grow up to 5 feet in length and weigh up to 700 pounds. However, they aren’t the largest among sea turtles. Leatherback sea turtles are the largest sea turtles that can grow up to six feet in length and weigh between 1200 to 2000 pounds.
Conclusion
Crush the turtle and his son Squirt are depicted as excellent surfers who like to ride the East Australian Current. And in actuality, this is indeed true. Turtles hitch free rides on EAC every year. Marine biologists have also termed EAC as a turtle highway.
Crush the turtle has cameo appearances in other movies, too. Toy Story 3, WALL-E, Lava are some movies where you will see Crush the turtle. This goes to show the enduring popularity of this laid-back sea turtle and his son, who continue to ride the waves of the EAC and our hearts.