Green Sea Turtle
Identification: Length from 80 cm up to 140 cm. The mass of a mature turtle ranges from 90 kg to over 180 kg. Males are generally smaller. Carapace oval shaped. Head relatively short and blunt. Five central scutes, low keeled in juveniles, but lacking a median keel in adults and sub adults. Each flipper has one visible claw. On the upper side, the colour can vary from brown to olive green, usually with a dark stippling or marbling. These may form radiated stripes or a blotch effect. The underside is plain white to yellow. Juveniles have a yellow border to scales on the head and upper side of flippers. Hatchlings are dark brown or black. The rear edges of the flippers and the rim of the carapace is white. Underneath they are white.
Range: Widely distributed in tropical and subtropical waters, near continental coasts and around islands. Rare in temperate waters. The green turtle, together with the hawksbill, is the most tropical of all the marine turtles.
Habitat: Found in warm sea water on both continental and island coasts. Nesting sites are always found in places with a sea water temperature of over 25°c.
Habits: The Green Turtle migrates over several thousand kilometres to feeding grounds. Generally, the green turtle nests within the tropical latitudes. Most females will lay between two and five clutches each breeding year with an interval of two years between successive breeding years. Clutch size depends on weight, age and size of the turtle. Sexual maturity is reached between 25 to 30 years or more. The sex of the turtle is temperature dependant. Mature green turtles feed during the day time in the sea grass beds that grow in shallow waters. Juvenile green turtles and hatchlings are omnivorous. This allows them to grow faster as they have a higher protein intake.
How to find: Rare in temperate waters. The chance of seeing one in the seas around the British Isles is very small.