A female Green Turtle photographed in 1980 on a nesting beach in Trengganu, Peninsular Malaysia. She was returning to the sea, having already laid her eggs.
 

In 2006 these hatchlings were found on a beach in the East Coast area of Singapore.  Photo thanks to Sivasothi.
 

Family : CHELONIIDAE
Species : Chelonia mydas
Maximum Carapace Length : 140 cm

References : H1

The Green Turtle is a medium-sized sea turtle which inhabits shallow, clear, tropical waters where it feeds mainly on sea grass.

The species is identified by its blunt head, the smooth non-serrated edge of the carapace, and the scutes (i.e. the shell plates) which do not overlap. The eggs are laid in clutches of up to 100 eggs on communal nesting beaches, and these hatch after two months. The hatchlings quickly make their way to the sea, and after 20 years the now-adult females return to the same beach to lay their own eggs.

	Close-up of the distinctive, blunt head.

Egg collection has decimated this species, though there have been notable conservation successes in some parts of Southeast Asia where nests are strictly guarded.

The Green Turtle may be encountered in clear waters throughout Southeast Asia.