
Green sea turtles are fascinating creatures. They are the world's largest species of hard-shelled sea turtle, weighing up to 500 lbs and measuring up to 5 feet in length. Here are five interesting facts about them:
1. They are named green sea turtles due to the greenish colour of the fat beneath their shell, which comes from their diet of algae and grasses.
2. Green sea turtles are unique among sea turtles as they are primarily herbivores, with a diet consisting mostly of seaweed, seagrass, and algae.
3. They are found nesting along the coastline of more than 80 countries, with the largest nesting populations in Costa Rica and Australia.
4. Female green sea turtles return to the same beach where they were born to lay their eggs.
5. Green sea turtles are classified as endangered due to threats such as overharvesting of their eggs, hunting, ocean plastic pollution, getting caught in fishing nets, and loss of habitat.
What You'll Learn
- Green sea turtles are the world's largest hard-shelled turtles
- They are primarily herbivores, eating seaweed and seagrass
- Their greenish colour comes from their fat, which is caused by their diet
- They nest in over 80 countries, with the largest populations in Costa Rica and Australia
- They are endangered, threatened by human activity and climate change
Green sea turtles are the world's largest hard-shelled turtles
The name 'green' sea turtle comes from the greenish color of the fat beneath their shell. This is due to their diet of algae and grasses. Green sea turtles are primarily herbivores, unlike most other sea turtles. Their jaws are finely serrated, which helps them tear vegetation. As they grow older, they move to shallow waters along the coast, such as bays and lagoons, where they find sea grass to eat.
Green sea turtles are found nesting along the coastline of more than 80 countries, with the largest nesting populations in Costa Rica and Australia. They spend most of their lives underwater, resting for up to five hours at a time. When active, they alternate between being underwater for a few minutes and coming up to the surface to breathe for a few seconds.
Like other sea turtles, green sea turtles migrate long distances of over 1,600 miles (2,600 kilometers) between their feeding grounds and nesting sites. They have strong, paddle-like flippers that help them swim gracefully at speeds of up to 35 mph.
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They are primarily herbivores, eating seaweed and seagrass
Green sea turtles are unique among sea turtles in that they are primarily herbivores, with a diet consisting mostly of seagrass and seaweed (also known as algae). This is what gives their fat its distinctive green colour, which is where they get their name from.
Green sea turtles are the largest hard-shelled marine turtles in the world, growing up to 5 feet long and weighing up to 500 lbs. They are found nesting along the coastline of more than 80 countries, with the largest populations in Costa Rica and Australia.
Their diet changes significantly throughout their lives. When they are young, they eat worms, young crustaceans, aquatic insects, and small amounts of grass and algae. Once they reach 8 to 10 inches in length, they become mostly herbivorous, eating seagrass and algae. Their finely serrated jaws help them tear vegetation.
Seagrass beds are an important part of the ocean ecosystem, and sea turtles play a crucial role in maintaining this. By grazing on seagrass, sea turtles prevent overgrowth, which in turn improves current flows and nitrogen production, promoting a healthy cultivation of flora and fauna.
Green sea turtles are an endangered species, threatened by overharvesting of their eggs, hunting, ocean plastic pollution, getting caught in fishing nets, and loss of habitat on their nesting beaches.
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Their greenish colour comes from their fat, which is caused by their diet
The greenish colour of the green sea turtle's fat is caused by its diet. Green sea turtles are the world's largest species of hard-shelled sea turtle, and they are unique among sea turtles in that they are primarily herbivores. Their diet consists mostly of seaweed, seagrasses, and algae. This plant-based diet is thought to give the turtles' fat its greenish colour, hence the name "green turtle".
The scientific name of the green sea turtle is Chelonia mydas. Their shells are typically shades of brown or olive, and their fat is greenish. The green sea turtle is easily distinguished from other sea turtles by its single pair of prefrontal scales (the scales in front of its eyes), whereas other sea turtles have two pairs.
Green sea turtles are found in tropical and subtropical waters worldwide, and their diet varies slightly depending on their location. In the East Pacific, for example, green turtles tend to eat more animal prey than other populations.
The diet of green sea turtles also changes significantly throughout their lives. When they are young, they eat worms, young crustaceans, aquatic insects, grasses, and algae. Once they reach 8 to 10 inches in length, they become primarily herbivorous, eating mostly seagrass and algae.
The green sea turtle's herbivorous diet is an important part of its identity and plays a significant role in giving the species its name.
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They nest in over 80 countries, with the largest populations in Costa Rica and Australia
Green sea turtles are found nesting along the coastline of more than 80 countries worldwide, with the largest nesting populations in Costa Rica and Australia.
Female green sea turtles migrate long distances, often thousands of miles, from their feeding grounds to their nesting sites, which are usually beaches where they themselves hatched. They leave the water to lay their eggs on the beach, digging out a nest with their flippers and laying a clutch of about 100-125 eggs, which they then cover with sand before returning to the sea.
The babies hatch from their eggs after about two months, using a special "egg tooth" to break their shells. They then make a dangerous journey across the sand to the water, avoiding predators such as birds, crabs, wild dogs, and lizards.
The first few years of a green sea turtle's life are spent floating at sea, feeding on plankton. As they mature, they move to shallow waters along the coast, such as bays and lagoons, where they can find sea grass to eat.
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They are endangered, threatened by human activity and climate change
Green sea turtles are classified as endangered and face a range of threats from human activity and climate change.
One of the biggest dangers to green sea turtles is human activity, particularly overharvesting of their eggs, hunting of adults, and being caught in fishing gear. Green turtles are killed for their meat, eggs, and shells, and their eggs are harvested for human consumption. They are also accidentally caught in shrimp trawl nets, on longline hooks, and in fishing gillnets. This is a serious problem for green turtles as they need to reach the surface to breathe, so they often drown once caught. As fishing activity expands, this issue becomes more prevalent.
Human activity has also led to the loss of nesting beach sites for green sea turtles. Uncontrolled coastal development, vehicle traffic on beaches, and other human activities have directly destroyed or disturbed sea turtle nesting beaches worldwide. Coastal development also leads to pollution and sedimentation in the waters near green turtle feeding grounds such as seagrass beds.
Climate change poses another significant threat to green sea turtles. Sea level rise and stronger storms caused by warming oceans will erode and destroy their beach habitats. Additionally, warming oceans will change ocean currents, potentially introducing green sea turtles to new predators and harming the coral reefs that they depend on for survival.
The temperature of the beach sand in which female green sea turtles nest influences the sex of their offspring during incubation. With rising temperatures due to climate change, studies suggest that there will be a higher number of female hatchlings, creating a significant threat to the genetic diversity of green sea turtles.