Green Sea Turtle

A green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is a large, herbivorous sea turtle found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. It is named for the greenish color of its body fat, not its shell. 🐢

Green sea turtles have a smooth, heart-shaped shell that is typically olive-green, brown, or black, with a pattern of radiating lines. They have a relatively small head and two large flippers in the front that they use to "fly" through the water with grace and power.

Green sea turtles are found in oceans worldwide, with separate populations in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They are unique among sea turtles for being primarily herbivores as adults, with a diet that consists of seagrasses and algae. This diet is what gives their fat and cartilage their greenish color. Juveniles, however, are carnivores and eat a variety of invertebrates.

Green sea turtles are a highly migratory species, traveling thousands of miles between their feeding grounds and nesting beaches. They are a vulnerable species, with their populations threatened by habitat loss, entanglement in fishing gear, and climate change.