Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Reptilia
Order : Testudines
Suborder : Cryptodira
Clade : Americhelydia
Family : Cheloniidae
Genus : Chelonia
Species : C. mydas
Chelonia
mydas, or the Green sea Turtle is also known as the green turtle, black
(sea) turtle, or Pacific green turtle. It is the only species in the
genus Chelonia.
[Appearance]
A
typical green sea turtle has a dorsoventrally flattened body, a beaked
head at the end of a short neck, and paddle-like arms well-adapted for
swimming. They are easily distinguished from other sea turtles because
they have a single pair of prefrontal scales (scales in front of its
eyes), rather than two pairs as found on other sea turtles. The fat
under its carapace (shell) is greenish, hence the name "Green Sea
Turtle". And adult green sea turtle can grow up to 1.5 metres long. The
average weight of mature green sea turtles are 68–190 kg and the average
carapace length is 78–112 cm. Even so, some specimens can weigh 315 kg
or even more. The largest known green sea turtle is 395 kg in weight and
153 cm in carapace length.
A Green Sea Turtle |
Unlike their close family the Hawksbill turtle, the green sea turtle's snout is very short and their beak is unhooked. Their neck cant be pulled into their carapace. As adult turtles, males are easily distinguishable from the females by having a larger tail and longer claws on the front flippers.
[Food]
The
unique fact about a green sea turtle's food is that it changes from
each phase of its life span. The young green sea turtle are carnivores.
They eat fish eggs, mollusks, jellyfish, small invertebrates, worms, and
crustaceans. They are still carvinores until they are juvenilles, but
when they mature, they become onnivores. When they grow older, they are
herbivores. They feed on algaes and seagreass. They eat a large ammount
of them and their fat turns more greenish due to the vegetations they
eat.
[Habitat]
Sea grass meadows |
Green
sea turtles range from tropical to subtropical areas worldwide. The most
abundant ones can be found in the atlantic and pacific oceans. Since
green sea turtles are a migrating species, their global distribution
spans around the world. The green sea turtle is estimated to inhabit
coastal areas of more than 140 countries, with nesting sites in over 80
countries worldwide throughout the year.
They
lay eggs and hatched on the beach, but the mature green sea turtle spend
most of their time in shallow coastal waters with lush seagrass beds,
seagrass meadows, and lagoons.
[Life Cycle]
Beaches
in Southeast Asia, India, islands in the western Pacific, and Central
America are where Green sea turtles breed. Most of them went back to the
beach where they hatch from, no matter where they live as an adult.
Mating seasons vary for each population of green sea turtles.
While
females went to the sea to lay eggs, the males went to the sea there
they hatch from to mate. After mating in the water, the female moves
above the beach's high tide line, where it will dig a hole 11-22 in
depth with her flippers and lay her eggs. After that, they covered again
the hole with sand.
The eggs are round and
white, and about 45 mm in diameter. They will hatch altogether later at
night, after around 50-70 days. Then, the hatchlings will insticntively
attempt to go to the water, but there are many predators waiting to hunt
them, such as gulls and crabs.
Those that
reach the ocean will swim to the habitat they decide to live on.
Juvenilles spend three to five years in the open ocean before they
settle as still-immature juveniles into their permanent shallow-water
lifestyle. It takes them 20 to 50 years to reach sexual maturity.
Scientists believe that they are very long lived and may live to 100
years in age.
[Behaviour]
Green
sea turtles spend most of their time underwater, but they still need
air to breath. They can hold their breath until around 5 hours by
keeping it in their lungs. The lungs permit a rapid exchange of oxygen
and prevent gases from being trapped during deep dives. Green sea
turtles can rest or sleep underwater. During the night while sleeping,
to protect themselves from potential predators, the adults wedge
themselves under rocks below the surface and under ledges in reefs and
coastal rocks. Many green sea turtles have been observed in returning to
the same sleeping location night after night.
Breathing |
[Social Structure]
Sea turtles are rather loners, but it's not rare to see several sea turtles living in the same enviorment. Even so, while they do acknowledge that others are around they don’t seem to make it a point to communicate with them in any way, but they dont show any aggression or dislike either, as long as there are enough food for all of them to live. There are a few times though when they are seen interacting with each other. When it's time for them to migrate, they always move in large numbers, but they dont show many interactions between each other even in the pack. They also migrate to different places depending on where they hatch from. The older sea turtle usually leads the pack.Sea Turtles interacting |
The males do engage in various types of courting for the female’s attention when it is time to mate. But there are no social structure on who gets the female or which male does the female chose at all. The young sea turtles have no social structures. Even the female sea turtles have no social structure while they lay eggs in the same coast as well. Simply put, there really isn’t much of a social structure for the sea turtle. Yet this format is one that continues to work for them in a positive way. They don’t seem to be affected negatively and there is no chaos. For the most part these creatures live in harmony both alone and when it is time for them to come together as a unit.
Sea turtles are often stuck in nets |
[Status]
The IUCN and CITES has listed
the Green Sea Turtle as an endangered animal and it is illegal to
collect, harm, or kill them. However, turtles are still in danger due to
human activity. The greatest threat for the green sea turtle is from
the commercial harvest for eggs and food. Other green turtle parts are
also used for leather and small turtles are sometimes stuffed.
2. They are excellent divers too, because may reach depths of more than 3,900 ft. in order to reach food
3. It is a common myth that sea turtles cry. But it's not because they're sad. They are actually excreting the salt water from their bodies through their eyes
4. It is believed one method that males use to see who should get to mate with the female is who can raise their neck the highest
5. The largest sea turtle every found was close to 2,020 pounds and 9.8 feet long
6. They all have eyelids that offer them protection from the sunlight for their eyes. They are able to see very well in the water but not on land. They are also color blind
[Facts!]
1. Sea turtles are amazing swimmers, they can move from 0.9 to about 5.8 miles per hour2. They are excellent divers too, because may reach depths of more than 3,900 ft. in order to reach food
3. It is a common myth that sea turtles cry. But it's not because they're sad. They are actually excreting the salt water from their bodies through their eyes
4. It is believed one method that males use to see who should get to mate with the female is who can raise their neck the highest
5. The largest sea turtle every found was close to 2,020 pounds and 9.8 feet long
6. They all have eyelids that offer them protection from the sunlight for their eyes. They are able to see very well in the water but not on land. They are also color blind
Thank You For Reading!! |
[Questions]
Now, let's see how much you remember about the Green Sea Turtle. It's better if you try to not peek to the text above. Good Luck~1. What is the Green Sea Turtle's Phylum?
A. Chordata
B. Cryptodira
C. Cheloniidae
D. Reptilia
E. C. Mydas
2. Why are they called "Green Sea Turtle"?
A. They live in green waters
B. Their shells are green
C. They are fully green colored
D. Their fat is green
E. They eat green seagrass
3. How many years does it takes for a Green Sea Turtle to reach sexual maternity?
A. 15-20 years
B. 20-50 years
C. 20-60 years
D. 30-45 years
E. 80-100 years
4. Which Green Sea Turtle usually leads the pack when they migrate?
A. The oldest one
B. The strongest one
C. The one that migrates the furthest
D. The only female in the pack
E. The largest one
5. Which one is the false statement?
A. The Green Sea Turtle does not have a social structure
B. During the night while sleeping, the adults wedge themselves under rocks
C. The female moves above the beach's high tide line to lay eggs
D. The Green Sea Turtle's global distribution spans around the world
E. They are distinguished from other sea turtles by their two pairs of prefrontal scales
Thats it for now, once again, thank you for reading!
Source :
conserveturtles.org
seaturtle-world, green sea turtle
seaturtle-world