On the coast of Hawaii, Green Turtles sometimes clamber onto rocky shores
to bask in the warmth of the sun.
A female Green Turtle on a nesting beach in
Trengganu, Peninsular Malaysia (1980), 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. |
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.
Egg collection has decimated this species, though there have been notable
conservation successes in some parts of Southeast Asia when nests are strictly guarded.
The Green Turtle may be
encountered in clear waters throughout Southeast Asia.
Family : CHELONIIDAE
Species : Chelonia mydas
Maximum Carapace Length : 140 cm
References : H1
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