Green turtle, Black (sea) turtle, Pacific green turtle
The Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. The common name of this species refers to the usually green fat found beneath its carapace, not to the color of its carapace, which is olive to black. Like other sea turtles, Green sea turtles migrate long distances between feeding grounds and hatching beaches. Many islands worldwide are known as Turtle Islands due to Green sea turtles nesting on their beaches. Females crawl out on beaches, dig nests, and lay eggs during the night. Later, hatchlings emerge and scramble into the water. Those that reach maturity may live to 90 years in the wild.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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OmnivoreAn omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
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AquaticAn aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract ...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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CosmopolitanAnimals with cosmopolitan distribution are those whose range extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Another aspect of cos...
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NatatorialNatatorial animals are those adapted for swimming. Some fish use their pectoral fins as the primary means of locomotion, sometimes termed labriform...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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GrazingGrazing is a method of feeding in which a herbivore feeds on plants such as grasses, or other multicellular organisms such as algae. In agriculture...
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PolyandryPolygyny is a mating system in which one female lives and mates with multiple males but each male only mates with a single female.
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PolygynandryPolygynandry is a mating system in which both males and females have multiple mating partners during a breeding season.
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withGreen sea turtles are amongst the largest turtles. Their heads appear small in comparison with the size of their body, which is covered in brown scales with a light-colored edge. Males are bigger than females and have a longer tail, sticking out well past the shell. The shell of the turtle has smooth, non-overlapping plates colored different shades of brown, with patterns that change as the turtle grows older. The underside of the shell is lighter colored. Green sea turtles are not able to pull their heads into their shells.
Green sea turtles live in the Atlantic Ocean, ranging from the eastern part of the United States along the coast of South America and over to South Africa. They are also found in the Caribbean Sea and parts of the Mediterranean, and throughout the warmer waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Green sea turtles move across three habitat types, depending on their life stage. They lay eggs on beaches. Mature turtles spend most of their time in shallow, coastal waters with lush seagrass beds. Adults frequent inshore bays, lagoons, and shoals with lush seagrass meadows. Entire generations often migrate between one pair of feeding and nesting areas. In these protected shores and bays, the Green sea turtle habitats include coral reefs, salt marshes, and nearshore seagrass beds. The coral reefs provide red, brown, and green algae for their diet and give protection from predators and rough storms within the ocean. The salt marshes and seagrass beds contain seaweed and grass vegetation, allowing ample habitat for the sea turtles. Turtles spend most of their first 5 years in convergence zones within the bare open ocean that surrounds them. These young turtles are rarely seen as they swim in deep, pelagic waters.
Green sea turtles spend almost all their lives underwater and come out of the water only when nesting. They are not considered social but may congregate offshore or during the breeding season. Some individuals may migrate together. Although they move quickly in the ocean, on land Green sea turtles are slow and also defenseless. Males hardly ever leave the water. Females leave the sea only to lay eggs and nest only at night. Green turtles swim underwater for approximately 4 to 5 minutes during routine activity and come up to breathe at the surface for 1 to 3 seconds. They can sleep underwater for a few hours at a time but stay beneath the surface for a much shorter period when diving for food or escaping from predators. Although green sea turtles can’t pull their heads inside their shells, the adults have protection from predators due to their shells, their large size, and the thick scaly skin covering their heads and necks.
The diet of Green sea turtles changes with age. Juveniles are carnivorous, but as they mature they become omnivorous. Young sea turtles eat fish eggs, mollusks, jellyfish, small invertebrates, worms, sponges, algae, and crustaceans. Most adult sea turtles are strictly herbivorous.
Green sea turtles are polygynandrous, and some populations have a polyandrous mating system, with one female mating with two or more male turtles. As with many species, males compete for a female. Breeding takes place in March-October, with variation between populations. Females mate usually every 2 to 4 years. The males visit the breeding grounds every year, looking for a mate. After copulation, when ready to lay her eggs, the female crawls ashore after dark. She digs a large pit beyond the high tide line and lays 70-200 eggs in it before returning to the ocean. The young turtles hatch after 6-8 weeks, and, with the help of their flippers, come up to the surface. They hatch at night and instinctively head directly into the water. Juveniles spend 3 to 5 years in the open ocean before they settle as still-immature juveniles into their permanent shallow-water lifestyle. It is speculated that they take 20 to 50 years to reach reproductive maturity.
The main threats to these turtles include the degradation and loss of habitat, consumption of their eggs and meat, capture as bycatch, pollution, and climate change. Beach armoring, building works, and sand extraction degrade the nesting habitat, while light pollution in the nesting areas fatally attracts hatchlings so that they do not head for the sea. Increased effluent, contamination from coastal development, and over-harvesting of algae all threaten the habitat of the green sea turtle.
According to the Sea Turtle Conservancy resource, the total population size of nesting Green sea turtles is around 85,000-90,000 individuals. Overall, currently, this species is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers today are decreasing.
Green sea turtles eat seagrasses and algae, thus serving (much like mowing a lawn) to maintain the seagrass beds in a healthy state, making them more productive. Seagrass eaten by turtles is quickly digested, becoming available as recycled nutrients for the many species of animals and plants that live in the ecosystem of seagrass. Seagrass beds also act as nurseries for a number of species of fish and invertebrates, many being of considerable value for commercial fisheries and thus important for human food security.
