Green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) may be chill and riding the currents but they’re also an endangered species. They’re herbivorous reptiles that inhabit the oceans, usually tropical and subtropical coastal waters. Green sea turtles live for around 80 years in the wild and grow to about five feet and 700 pounds. Unlike other turtles or tortoises, green sea turtles cannot retract their heads into their shells. They also differ from other sea turtles because they are herbivores once they are adults and eat grass or algae. While young, green sea turtles like other sea turtles, also eat crabs or jellyfish. A further way they differ from other turtles is that they go onto land to warm up in the sun instead of just swimming to the surface of the water.

Fun Fact: Green sea turtles are named for the green color of their skin, not the color of their shell!

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Before getting into more specifics about green sea turtles, it’s important to note the difference between turtles or tortoises.

All tortoises are turtles.

“they [all] belong to the order Testudines or Chelonia” BUT

Not all turtles are tortoises.

Tortoises only live on land, but not all of the creatures from this order that live on land are tortoises, some are actually turtles. Tortoises also have feet that resemble those of elephants and aren’t webbed, they are also herbivorous while most turtles are omnivorous. Basically, tortoises stay on land and turtles stay in the water (for the most part).

There are two different types of green sea turtles but it hasn’t been decided if they’re subspecies or distinct species. They are the Atlantic green turtle and the Eastern Pacific green turtle.

Green sea turtles spend most of their life in the water but lay their eggs on land. They mate every two to four years and the females lay their eggs on beaches, usually the ones that they were born on. These nests are holes dug in the sand and they are filled with anywhere between 100 and 200 eggs and then covered back up and left there. The turtles hatch in about two months and must make the journey from their nest to the sea alone, avoiding predators like crabs and birds.

Green sea turtles are very important parts of ocean habitats. They eat seagrass and algae which makes the ocean beds of their habitats more productive and keeps them healthy, they’re essentially lawnmowers. It is important to maintain these seagrass beds because they serve as nursing grounds for other species in the ocean which are important to the food chain and the functioning of their habitat.

Green sea turtles are an endangered species that are being hurt by multiple factors. Poaching for eggs and shells, pollution, and habitat loss are all reasons for the loss of green sea turtles. The World Wildlife Fund tries to help conservation efforts for green sea turtles. The WWF is trying to change the types of hooks and nets used in fishing so that turtle bycatch is reduced. Turtle bycatch is when turtles get stuck in fishing hooks or nets and can’t get to the surface to breathe and end up drowning. The WWF has a competition called Smart Gear which challenges people to invent safe ways to fish that avoid bycatch.

If you want to help out you can adopt a green sea turtle at the WWF, the money goes to conservation efforts for them.

“Green Sea Turtle.” National Geographic, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/g/green-sea-turtle/.

“What’s the Difference Between a Turtle and a Tortoise?” Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/demystified/whats-the-difference-between-a-turtle-and-a-tortoise.

“Green Turtle.” World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/species/green-turtle.