well adapt ed t o lif e in t heir mar ine wor ld. Wit h st r eamlined bodies and f lipper -like limbs, t hey ar e gr acef ul swimmer s able t o

navigat e acr oss t he oceans. W hen t hey ar e
act ive, sea t ur t les must swim t o t he ocean
sur f ace t o br eat he ever y f ew minut es.
W hen t hey ar e r est ing, t hey can r emain un-

The gr een sea t ur t le get s it s name f r om t he green-colored f at t issue under it s shell. The f at has a gr een color because t he adult

gr een f r om t he out side. Their car apace can be shades of black, gr ay, olive gr een, yellow or br own wit h a r adiant pat t er n, st r ipes or irregular spots of black and white. Their

hard-shelled sea turtles, but have a compara- tively small head. While hatchlings are just 2 inches long, adult s can gr ow t o mor e t han 3

and I ndian oceans, st aying pr imar ily in t r opical or sub-tropical waters. Some examples include t he east and west coast s of Florida, t he Carib- bean, Cost a Rica, and of f t he Pacif ic coast of

Adult and j uvenile gr een sea t ur t les ar e unique among sea t ur t les in t hat t hey ar e her bivor ous. They pr imar ily eat seagr asses and algae.

mat ur it y when t hey ar e 25-50 year s old and t hen begin r et ur ning t o t heir nat al beaches ever y 2-4 year s t o nest . Mat ing begins in March, and f emales nest primarily between May and September. The peak of the

f emales nest at night every 12-14 days, laying 5 clut ches, on aver age dur ing one nest ing season.

wat er , climb up on t he beach and sear ch f or a suit able nest ing sit e. They dig a br oad pit wit h t heir f r ont f lipper s and an egg chamber wit h t heir rear f lippers. They t hen deposit an aver age of 110-115 eggs and cover t he

t ur e of t he sand. T he t emper at ur e of t he eggs dur ing incubat ion also det er mines t he gender of t he hat chlings. Lower t empera- t ur es will pr oduce mor e males, while higher t emper at ur es will pr oduce mor e f emales.

beach t o t he ocean. On a dar k beach t hey ar e at t r act ed t o t he light r ef lect ed of f t he ocean. Ar t if icial beachf r ont light ing can cause t ur t les t o become disor ient ed and pr event t hem f r om f inding t heir way t o t he ocean.

upon adult sea t urt les. Their long f lippers are especially vulner able. Man is also a pr edat or of t he gr een t ur t le.

nest s t hat ar e laid by adult f emales on impor - t ant nest ing beaches. Based on nest ing beach sur veys, gr een t ur t le populat ions appear t o be st able or increasing at some of t he key

Thr eat s t o gr een t ur t les in t he wat er include capt ur e in f ishing gear such as shr imp t r awls, gillnet s and f ishing lines; pollut ion and t r ash; and collisions wit h boat s. Human develop-

const r uct ion, beach ar mor ing, beachf r ont light ing, beach dr iving, and beach cleaning ar e signif icant t hr eat s t o nest ing f emales and t heir hat chlings

of t he gr een t ur t les in Hawaii and is also f ound at high levels in ot her gr een t ur t le populations, such as Florida. FP causes

t umor s t o gr ow on t he eyes, mout h, neck or f lippers. These t umors are not deadly unt il t hey begin t o block t he sight , br eat hing, or f eeding act ivit ies of t he t ur t le. The cause

t heir nest ing beaches. The agencies have bot h enact ed r egulat ions t o pr ot ect t ur t les at sea and on t he nest ing beaches. Gr een sea t ur t les ar e also list ed under Appendix I of t he

Endanger ed Species (CI TES), which f or bids t he t r ade of any t ur t le pr oduct s on t he int er nat ional mar ket . I n t he U.S., it is illegal t o impor t or

Turt le Excluder Devices (TED\u2019s). These allow t ur t les t o escape f r om shr imp net s if t hey ar e caught .

beach cleanups or at t end a public sea t ur t le
walk. You can do a pr esent at ion on t ur t les f or a
class t o r aise awar eness, adopt a t ur t le, or
f ollow a sea t ur t le t elemet r y pr oj ect . You can