Creature Feature Encyclopedia: Reptilia

Green Sea Turtle

Green Sea Turtle
Chelonia mydas


Status: Endangered

Habitat: coasts, open sea, where temperature does not fall below 68 F (20 C)

Size: 3.25 - 4 ft (1 - 1.2 m)

Each year female turtles deposit their eggs in the sand above the high-water mark. Although this practice protects the eggs and hatchlings from the nest-robbers of the deep, it exposes them to land predators such as coconut crabs and frigate birds. Too often, humans join in this assault. It is imperative for the survival of turtles that their main nesting sites be designated as protected sanctuaries. Hatching takes place generally at night, about eight weeks after the eggs are laid. Interestingly, when the temperature of the nest is low, the turtle hatch as males. When the nest is warmer, they hatch as females.

~A Swim through the Sea © 1994


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