Green Sea Turtle © Shedd Aquarium
Green sea turtles live in warm tropical waters from South Africa to New England
and in the Pacific from the Americas to West Africa. Green Sea turtles bury their eggs on beaches. After hatching only females will return to land and only to lay eggs. Females will return to the same beach, to lay eggs, where they hatched.
They are called green turtles because
of the color of their green flesh. Their limbs are like paddles, which they
use to swim. Males are larger than females and have a longer tail that extends
well past the shell. The shell can vary in color, from brown to olive to even
black, depending on geographic location. Green sea turtles cannot pull their
head inside their shell. Certain green turtles can reach lengths of 153 centimeters
and weigh up to 205 kg (451 lbs). There are two types (sub species) of green
turtle- the Atlantic green turtle and the Eastern Pacific green sea turtle (sometimes
called black sea turtle due to its dark carapace, and can be found along Alaska,
California, and Chile). A couple of differences between the two are that the
Eastern Pacific turtle has a higher set shell and it is also narrower.
They
are herbivores. They are considered an endangered species and are on the US
Federal List, as well as the IUCN (International Union fir Conservation of Nature).
They have many predators including humans.
- Crite, Janel. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Animal Diversity Web. "Species: Chelonia mydas green sea turtle."
- http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Chelonia_mydas.html
