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The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is found in all warm tropical waters. The green flesh for which it is named is a delicacy in many countries where it is sometimes made into soup. Trade in green sea turtle products is banned by international treaty, however. This means there is a thriving black market with poachers selling live turtles off the boat for up to $20 each, despite the threat of huge fines and imprisonment for up to five years. By the time its meat reaches the table and its carapace reaches the souvenir stall, each turtle is worth possibly thousands of dollars. The green sea turtle, which grows up to 200kg, sometimes nests on public beaches and conservationists have to move the eggs to safe havens.

Taxonomy[]

The green sea turtle is a member of the tribe Chelonini. A 1993 study clarified the status of genus Chelonia with respect to the other marine turtles. The carnivorous Eretmochelys (hawksbill), Caretta(loggerhead) and Lepidochelys (ridley) were assigned to the tribe Carettini. Herbivorous Chelonia warranted their status as a genus, while Natator (flatback) was further removed from the other genera than previously believed.

The species was originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae as Testudo mydas. In 1868, Marie Firmin Bocourt named a particular species of sea turtle Chelonia agassizii, in honor of Swiss-American zoologist Louis Agassiz. This "species" was referred to as the "black sea turtle". Later research determined Bocourt's "black sea turtle" was not genetically distinct from C. mydas, and thus taxonomically not a separate species. These two "species" were then united as Chelonia mydas and populations were given subspecies status: C. mydas mydas referred to the originally described population, while C. mydas agassizi referred only to the Pacific population known as the Galápagos green turtle. This subdivision was later determined to be invalid and all species members were then designated Chelonia mydas. The oft-mentioned name C. agassizi remains an invalid junior synonym of C. mydas.

The species' common name does not derive from any particular green external coloration of the turtle. Its name comes from the greenish color of the turtles' fat, which is only found in a layer between their inner organs and their shell. As a species found worldwide, the green turtle has many local names. In the Hawaiian language it is called honu, and it is locally known as a symbol of good luck and longevity.

Description[]

It has a teardrop-shaped carapace with a flattened body. It has a pair of paddle-like flippers and a beaked head at the end of its short neck.

Distribution[]

This species can be found in the sub-tropics and tropics worldwide, with major nesting beaches in Tortuguero (Costa Rica), Oman, Florida, and Raine Island (Australia) where thousands of turtles nest each night during peak nesting season. They are also found nesting on French Frigate Shoals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Suriname, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

Habitat[]

You’ll find them near the coastline. They stay in bays and safe shores. They choose sections with beds of seagrass, their preferred food. They do swim ashore to enjoy bathing in the sun.

Ecology and behavior[]

Sea turtles are not generally considered social animals; however, some species do congregate offshore.

Sea turtles gather together to mate. Members of some species travel together to nesting grounds.

After hatchlings reach the water they generally remain solitary until they mate.

Feeding[]

Being an herbivorous species in its adult phase, it feeds mainly of seagrasses and algae. Its foraging habits allow keeping seagrass meadows in good health and facilitating the flux of nutrients with other ecosystems.

Life cycle[]

Green sea turtles migrate long distances between feeding sites and nesting sites; some swim more than 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi) to reach their spawning grounds. Mature turtles often return to the exact beach from which they hatched. Females usually mate every two to four years. Males, on the other hand, visit the breeding areas every year, attempting to mate. Mating seasons vary between populations. For most C. mydas in the Caribbean, mating season is from June to September. The French Guiana nesting subpopulation nests from March to June. In the tropics, green turtles nest throughout the year, although some subpopulations prefer particular times of the year. In Pakistan, Indian Ocean turtles nest year-round, but prefer the months of July to December. Green sea turtles mating is similar to other marine turtles. Female turtles control the process. A few populations practice polyandry, although this does not seem to benefit hatchlings. After mating in the water, the female moves above the beach's high tide line, where she digs a hole with her hind flippers and deposits her eggs. Clutch size depends on the age of the female and species, but can range between 100 and 200. She then covers the nest with sand and returns to the sea. At around 45 to 75 days, the eggs hatch during the night, and the hatchlings instinctively head directly into the water. This is the most dangerous time in a turtle's life. As they walk, predators, such as gulls and crabs, feed on them. A significant percentage never make it to the ocean. Little is known of the initial life history of newly hatched sea turtles. Juveniles spend three 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 sexual maturity. Individuals live up to 80 years in the wild. It is estimated that only 1% of hatchlings reach sexual maturity. Each year on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic, C. mydas females create 6,000 to 15,000 nests. They are among the largest green turtles in the world; many are more than a metre in length and weigh up to 300 kilograms (660 lbs).

Facts[]

  • Like other sea turtles, the Green Turtle cannot pull its head into its shell.
  • Sea turtles hatch from eggs buried under the sand and must make their way to the sea on their own, crawling slowly along the beach until they reach the water.

Gallery[]

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