Their range extends anywhere from 40º north of the equator to 40º south of the equator. Like all other species of sea turtles, this one is on the list of endangered species. The Green Sea Turtle, also known as the Chelonia mydas by scientists, is one of the largest of the seven sea turtle species. Breeding by Seaturtle-World | Jan 4, 2014 | Species |. Classified as endangered, green turtles are threatened by overharvesting of their eggs, hunting of adults, being … Green sea turtle recovery has come a long way, but the fight’s not over yet,” said Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director at the Center for Biological Diversity. Adult green sea turtles are herbivorous that feed exclusively on marine plants and algae. This program is authorized by the U.S. Online Map & Sea Turtle Database. In the wild they can live for up to 80 years. Therefore, they have to live in places where they find the food they need. Maui Ocean Center continues to care for six 1-year-old Hawaiian green sea turtles, and anticipates more hatchlings in the future, which will eventually be exhibited at Maui Ocean Center’s Turtle Lagoon. This subspecies is also known as the black sea turtle, eastern pacific green sea turtle and agassizii green sea turtle. Young turtles are omnivorous, but adults become herbivorous. Sea turtles have survived on Earth for more than 100 million years, yet today their future hangs in the balance. Predators Scientific Name: Chelonia mydas Description: They are easily distinguished from other sea turtles because they have a single pair of prefrontal scales (scales in front of its eyes), rather than two pairs as found on other sea turtles. The vector, or the organism that transmit the virus, has not been identified yet, but scientist guess that leeches or some kind of snails are the most likely. Green turtles are found mainly in tropical and subtropical waters. 1 Description 2 Location 3 Challenges 4 Tips 5 Trivia 6 Gallery 7 Trophies/Achievements 8 Related Content Turtles are small, shelled reptiles found in the marshlands in Lemoyne. Fish and Wildlife Service, they are released into Hawaiian waters at a location approved by the agencies. There are some populations with up to 70% of individuals affected by this condition. In the United States, nesting green sea turtles are primarily found in the Hawaiian Islands, U.S. Pacific Island territories (Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa), Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the East Coast of Florida. When they are young they will also eat marine invertebrates but as they get older their intake of plant matter increases until they become completely herbivorous. It was named “Green” because of the color of the fat located beneath its shell, not precisely because it looks green on the outside. Green Sea Turtles are herbivores and they mainly feed upon seaweed and sea grasses. The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas, honu)! Green Sea Turtles reach sexual maturity between 10 and 24 years of age and nesting occurs every 3 - 6 years. With the help of their flippers, they dig a hole in the sand where they gradually deposit 100 to 200 eggs that will cover with sand at the end. Some of these turtles, like the ones at Maui Ocean Center, Sea Life Park Hawaii, and other collaborating institutions, are released at a later age to provide an educational opportunity for those who visit these institutions. Green turtles swim at a speed of about 1.5 to 2.3 km/h. The green sea turtle is a large species, its shell is the biggest part and covers most of its body. After 6 - 8 weeks the young turtles will hatch and they will move their flippers to make their way to the surface. All turtles are provided by Sea Life Park Hawaii through the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle Educational Loan Program. Once in the water, sharks, dolphins and a variety of fish prey on the hatchlings. Loggerhead Sea Turtle After a period of 40 to 75 days, the offspring struggle to leave the sand and instinctively head to the ocean. It was named “Green” because of the color of the fat located beneath its shell, not precisely because it looks green on the outside. Six of the seven sea turtle species are threatened with extinction due to human impacts including fisheries bycatch, coastal development, plastic pollution, and the consumption of sea turtles and their eggs. As a curious fact, sea turtle hatchlings develop a sharp tooth that serves to break the egg; they have this structure for a short time since it falls off after a few days after born. The urbanization and the construction of hotel zones limit the females from finding beaches to lay their eggs, and the presence of lights disorient the hatchlings, disturbing them on their way to the sea. PublicAffairs, Nov 5, 2008. Experts estimate that in the past 120 to 140 years green sea turtle numbers have declined by 48 to 67 percent. Like other sea turtles, they migrate long distances between feeding grounds and the beaches from where they hatched. There are two subspecies of Green Sea Turtle: She will dig a large pit above the high tide line and in it she will lay 100 - 200 eggs. It is odd to start talking about the Green sea turtle, saying that it is not green. Out of the seven types of sea turtle, the Hawaiian green sea turtle is the most common in Hawaii, the Maui Ocean Center said. For Maui Ocean Center’s curators, who have fed, cleaned and cared for the honu, it was a bittersweet moment as they bid farewell to the turtles, the center news release said. Main Characteristics Males and females reach sexual maturity at the age of 20 and up to 50 years and have a life expectancy of about 75 years. Interesting Facts Green sea turtles are one of the world’s largest species of turtle, weighing around 65-130kg and measuring between 1-1.2m long. Osha Gray Davidson, Osha Davidson. Green Sea Turtles mate in shallow water approximately 1 Km (0.62 miles) from the nesting site. In contrast, immature juveniles and adults are commonly found in seagrass meadows closer inshore as herbivorous grazers. They have a small head that is covered in brown scales that have a light coloured edging and they have paddle-like limbs which enables them to be graceful, streamline swimmers. They have wet, scaly skin and their most prominent feature is the large, pointed shell on their backs. When the hatchlings reach the ages of 2 to 3 years old, under the authority and approval of the U.S. As one of the first sea turtle species studied, much of what is known of sea turtle ecology comes from studies of green turtles. There are conservation efforts in place to try to protect them as much as possible. Tweets Lower levels of nesting are found in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Hawaiian green sea turtles, or honu, are native to Hawaii. It is odd to start talking about the Green sea turtle, saying that it is not green. Climate change and habitat loss are threats to these animals, as well as diseases such as fibropapilloma. The main predators of adult Green Sea Turtles are sharks, specifically tiger sharks, and humans. Another significant threat to sea turtles, in general, is Fibropaplillomatosis a condition caused by a herpes virus that produces benign tumors in these reptiles. This illness is already a panzootic (an animal pandemic) as it affects all species of sea turtles, all over the world. There are populations with different colorings and markings in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. (Chelonia mydas mydas) Entanglement with fishing nets, ingestion of marine litter, egg harvesting, predation, and trawling fishing are responsible for the decline of much of the population. Quick facts about these endangered marine reptiles! Distribution of the Green Turtle This species lives in the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Indian Ocean. Sea Life Park Hawaii is home to a colony of adult Hawaiian green sea turtles that produce approximately 200 to 800 sea turtles each year, all of which are released into the ocean. The first few years of life is the most hazardous for Green Sea Turtles as that is when the are most vulnerable to predation. Other times they block mouth causing their death by starvation. Green Sea Turtles are found in tropical, sub-tropical and temperate waters worldwide. SWOT’s interactive map and database of sea turtle biogeography is hosted and maintained by the SWOT Team and Duke University’s OBIS-SEAMAP. Once they have reached adulthood, only the large species of sharks represent a danger to them. “Global warming, plastic pollution and sea-level rise are growing threats that can be addressed by protecting critical habitat. Some of them manage to travel up to 2,250 kilometers, but this varies according to the geographical location where they live. Quick facts about these endangered marine reptiles! Once the mother finishes the process, she returns to the sea and does not have contact with the offspring again. They are migratory species whose nesting sites are in about 80 countries. This group of eggs is called a clutch and she will cover them over with sand to protect them from the sun and any predators. The largest green turtle nesting population is found at Tortuguero, on the coast of Costa Rica where about 22,500 green turtle females nest annually. Kemp's Ridley Five endangered green sea turtles, hatched at Sea Life Park Hawaii on Oahu and raised at the Maui Ocean Center, were released into the wild in the waters off Maui on Thursday. The Maui News Five endangered green sea turtles, hatched at Sea Life Park Hawaii on Oahu and raised at the Maui Ocean Center, were released into the wild in the waters off Maui on Thursday.