Description:
Classification:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Reptilia
- Order: Testudines
- Family: Cheloniidae
- Genus: Chelonia
- Species: mydas
The green turtle is divided into two subspecies, the green turtle (Chelonia mydas mydas) and the black or Eastern Pacific green turtle (Chelonia mydas agassizii).
Habitat and Distribution:
Green sea turtles are found in tropical and sub-tropical waters around the world.
Feeding:
Reproduction:
Female green turtles nest in tropical and subtropical regions - some of the biggest nesting areas are in Costa Rica and Australia. Females lay about 100 eggs at a time, and will lay 1-7 clutches of eggs during the nesting season, spending about 2 weeks in the ocean in between. After the nesting season, females wait between 2-6 years before coming ashore to nest again.
The eggs hatch after about 2 months, and the hatchlings weigh only about 1 ounce and are 1.5-2 inches long. They head to the sea, where they spend time offshore until they reach a length of 8-10 inches, and move toward the coast, living eventually in shallow areas with seagrass beds. Green turtles may live over 60 years.
Conservation:
Green turtles are endangered. They are threatened by harvesting (for turtle meat and eggs), bycatch in fishing gear, habitat destruction and pollution.
Sources:
- Spotila, James R. Sea Turtles: A Complete Guide to Their Biology, Behavior and Conservation 2004. The Johns Hopkins University Press.
- Turtles.org The Atlantic Green Turtle (Online). Accessed February 16, 2011.
- Waller, Geoffrey, ed. SeaLife: A Complete Guide to the Marine Environment. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington, D.C. 1996.
