All About Green Sea Turtles

By: Cady Thomas

Green Sea Turtles

Scientific name is

Chelonia Mydas

Chelonia - from the word chelone meaning a

tortoise
Mydas- comes from the word mydos, meaning
wetness

Habitat
2 types of turtles: east and west
Off the coasts of Europe and North America
Warm subtropical and tropical
waters
Migratory animals

CHARACTERISTICS

Male vs. Female

Sea turtle sex is determined by temperature
Determining: male turtles have significantly
longer tails and front claws when compared to
females

LIFE CYCLE AND BABY TURTLES

Life Cycle

Turtles reach maturity

anywhere from 15 to 40
years of age

Breeding
Females usually return to the same beach they were
born on to nest
They leave the water and dig a pit in the sand and
lay there eggs
These pits are then covered up with sand
and the females return to the sea

Babies! I mean hatchlings

Eggs hatch about 2 months after they are laid
Sex of the turtles is determined about 2/3 of the way
through the gestation period
Very few of these baby turtles will survive to
adulthood

Eating habits and food source

Food sources
Adults- herbivores
Sea grasses and algae

Juveniles- omnivores
Will eat plants but also eat many invertebrates
Adult

baby

Eating habits
Have finely serrated jaws adapted for eating
grasses
Only herbivorous sea turtle species as adults

Predators and other turtle hazards

Hatchling Hazards
Many turtles never make it to the ocean once they
hatch because of

Foxes
Dogs
Raccoons
Crabs
Birds
People!

Adult predators
Since turtles that make it to adulthood are large and
have a protective shell they are not an easy meal for
most large predators
Occasionally sharks and killer whales do feed on turtles
People are also a large problem

Disease
Fibropapillomatosis
External tumors- can hamper swimming, eating, etc.
Widely common among green turtles

People
Hatchlings can be confused by beach front lights
Turtles can be injured by boats
Human pollution is also very harmful to turtles

There is still hope!

Sources:
1. http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/green-turtle/
2. https://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Library/Amphibians-Reptiles-and-Fish/Sea-Turtles/Green-Sea-Turtle.aspx
3. https://seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/sea-turtles/diet-and-eating-habits
4. http://www.seaturtle-world.com/sea-turtle-feeding/
5. http://myfwc.com/research/wildlife/sea-turtles/threats/fibropapillomatosis/
6. http://www.ecohealthalliance.org/news/55-fibropapillomatosis_global_disease_plaguing_endangered_sea_turtles

7. http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/education/
8. http://www.seaturtle-world.com/sea-turtle-predators/
9. http://www.virginiaaquarium.com/conserve/about-the-team
10. http://www.turtlehospital.org/

Any Questions??