Green sea turtle

Evolution

there are 2 subspecies of green sea turtle: the green (Chelonia mydas mydas) and the black or Eastern Pacific green turtle (Chelonia mydas agassizii).

the green sea turtle has been around for 110 million years

Its closest relative is hawksbill turtle, but green turtle's snout is shorter and beak is unhooked.

Eunotosaurus, a reptile who lived about 260 million years ago during the Permian Period , is the earliest known ancestor of modern turtles

Description

Green turtles are the large hard-shelled sea turtles, but have a comparatively small head.

A typical adult is 3 to 4 feet long and weighs 300 to 350 pounds.

They have dark brown, grey, or olive colored shells and a much lighter, yellow-to-white underside.

the green sea turtle lives 10-80 years

Adult males have longer, thicker tails than females, where as females have smaller and thinner tails that tend to be shorter then their flippers

description of habitat

Green turtles are found worldwide primarily in subtropical and temperate regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, and in the Mediterranean Sea.

the green sea turtle lives with fish, shrimp, and other marine animals.

Impact of Humans

Coastal development and rising seas from climate change are leading to the loss of nesting beach habitat for green turtles.

Over the last 200 years, human activities have tipped the scales against the survival of these ancient mariners. Slaughtered for their eggs, meat, skin, and shells, sea turtles suffer from poaching and over-exploitation. They also face habitat destruction and accidental capture—known as bycatch—in fishing gear.

The major recovery actions for green turtles include: Protecting sea turtles on nesting beaches and in marine environments. Protecting nesting and foraging habitats. Reducing bycatch in commercial, artisanal, and recreational fisheries.

Social Structure

Green sea turtles are considered solitary,

Squirting water and blinking have also been used by turtles to communicate with each other, as well. A unique communication method utilized by turtles is biting.

Development

being an egg, hatchling or baby turtle, into being a juvenile, then to being an adult.

the minimum age of sexual maturity is eight to nine years of age.

The most common way to determine gender in a turtle is to look at the length of its tail. 3 Female turtles have short and skinny tails while males sport long, thick tails, with their vent (cloaca) positioned closer to the end of the tail when compared to a female.

Causes of death

Fishes, dogs, seabirds, raccoons, ghost crabs, and other predators prey on eggs and hatchlings. More than 90% of hatchlings are eaten by predators.

Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a debilitating disease that affects sea turtles in Florida and many other parts of the world. Turtles with FP have external tumors that may grow so large and hanging as to hamper swimming, vision, feeding, and potential escape from predators.

Competition

Occasionally, green sea turtles and manatees compete for food resources.

IUCN Rating

green sea turtles are classified by IUCN as “Endangered”, meaning that these species meet a specific series of “listing criteria”, including “an observed, estimated, inferred or suspected reduction of at least 50% over the last 10 years or three generations, whichever is the longer.”

population Estimate*: Between 85,000 and 90,000 nesting females.