Green Sea Turtles

The green sea turtle, also known as the Chelonia mydas, is a large sea turtle that exists in the tropical and the sub-tropical seas around the world. The breeding colony populations of such green sea turtles, in Florida and the Pacific coast of Mexico, are almost endangered. Since these species are recognized as endangered; it is therefore illegal to harm or kill the green sea turtles in any such way. In most cases, the green sea turtles are hunted down for their flesh and at times it is the polluted waters that harm the turtle population, which results in the depletion of their numbers.

Facts about the Green Sea Turtles:

• The green sea turtles grow to a size of about 4 feet and weigh around 200 kilograms. The green sea turtle has a heart shaped shell with a small head and single clawed flippers. The snout of the green sea turtle is very short. The carapace has 5 central scutes. Scutes are shiny and bony external plates on the shell (carapace) of a turtle. Under this, the green sea turtle has around 4 pairs of infra marginal scutes. The heads of the adult green sea turtles are generally light brown with yellow markings.
• The hatchlings generally have a black or sometimes a dark brown to an olive shaded carapace. These also have white margins on the shell and limbs.
• The green sea turtles are generally found in shallow waters. This case is exceptional when these are in the process of migration. The green sea turtles are found in reefs, bays and inlets. These are also found in close proximity of lagoons. This is because; such areas have an abundance of algae and marine grass.
• Another interesting fact about the green sea turtles is the nesting area of such species. These beautiful creatures are known to be very particular about their nesting ground to the extent that, these often go back to the same feeding and nesting areas the next time round. The nesting generally occurs at 2, 3 or 4 years interval. The first five years for the young green sea turtles are spent in deep waters, which is why these are difficult to spot. The eggs of the green sea turtles hatch after about 40 to 70 days. These hatch during the night and once these hatchlings emerge from the eggs, they instinctively head out towards the waters edge. Most of them are not fortunate enough to survive, due to the laws of nature. Such hatchlings are often the meals of gull and crabs that are known to pick them up immediately.
• Another interesting fact about the green sea turtle is that unlike other sea turtles, these prefer to crawl onto secluded beaches during the day since they love to bask in the sun. These species are also known to live up to 80 years in the wild.
• These species are also known to migrate long distances between their chosen feeding sites. The mating season for the green sea turtles is around the months of June to September. The adult turtles are also known to return to the same beach where they had been hatched, even if they swim long distances.
• The females can lay 100 to 200 eggs at a time. Once the eggs are laid, the female green sea turtles covers the nest with sand and returns to the sea.

For the survival of these species, one has to really be sensitive towards their conservation issues. This is when the public can themselves help in the conservation by avoiding crowding in such nesting areas and avoiding littering the beaches with plastic and cans. The sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish. Any illegal poaching activity should be reported at once and one should also avoid having any food item that involves the meat of these species. Having an overabundance of the fishing activity in these areas can also cause harm to the green sea turtles; these can get trapped in nets and drown. Since, the humans continuously threaten the existence of sea turtles, it is left up to each one of us, to make a difference.