Species: Chelonia mydas

Green Sea Turtle
Species
    Kingdom
    Animalia
    Phylum
    Craniata
    Class

    Chelonia

    Order

    Cryptodeira

    Family

    Cheloniidae

    Genus

    Chelonia

    Classification
    Other Global Common Names
    Green Turtle - tortue verte
    Informal Taxonomy
    Animals, Vertebrates - Turtles
    Food Comments
    Diet includes"seagrass," macroalgae and other marine vegetation, and various invertebrates such as mollusks, sponges, crustaceans, and jellyfish.
    Reproduction Comments
    Individual reproductive females lay 1-8 clutches per season, averaging about 90-140 eggs, at about two-week intervals usually every 2-5 years. Nesting occurs March-October in Caribbean-Gulf of Mexico region, with peak in May-June; nests in Florida May-September (Ehrhart and Witherington 1992). Nesting encompasses April-October, with a peak between mid-June and early August, in Hawaii (Niethammer et al. 1997). Eggs hatch usually in 1.5-3 months. Hatchlings emerged between early July and late December (peak mid-August to early October) in Hawaii (Niethammer et al. 1997). Females mature probably at an average age of 27 years in Florida, but growth rates and hence age of maturity may vary greatly (from perhaps fewer than 20 years to 40+ years) throughout the range (slower growth in Australia, Hawaii, and Galapagos than in Florida and West Indies region).
    Ecology Comments
    Eggs and hatchlings typically incur high mortality from various terrestrial and aquatic predators, including both vertebrates and invertebrates (e.g., crabs). Many nests are destroyed by tidal inundation and erosion. In Costa Rica, annual survivorship of adult females was 0.61; in various areas egg survivorship was 0.40-0.86 (see Iverson [1991] for a compilation of survivorship data). Humans are the most important predators on adults. See Witherington and Ehrhart (1989) for information on cold stunning in Florida.
    Global Range
    Distribution is pantropical in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. In some areas this species occurs in higher temperate latitudes due to drifting in ocean currents in conjunction with above-normal sea temperatures or as a normal life history event; young turtles regularly range as far north as New England. Major nesting activity occurs on Ascension Island, Aves Island, in Costa Rica (24,000 females nests each year at Tortuguero), and in Surinam (CSTC 1990). See Hirth (1980) for a map of major nesting beaches. <br><br>In U.S. Atlantic waters, green sea turtles occur around the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, where small numbers nest (islas Mona, Vieques, and Culebra, and St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix), and a juvenile population exists in eastern portion of Puerto Rican Bank (Collazo et al. 1992), and from Texas to Massachusetts. Relatively small numbers nest in Florida, particularly in Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, and Broward counties (CSTC 1990), mostly from Volusia County to Dade County (Ehrhart and Witherington 1992), with rare recent nesting on the Gulf Coast in Santa Rosa County (Ehrhart and Witherington 1992); important feeding areas in Florida include the Indian River, Florida Bay, Homossassa Bay, Crystal River, and Cedar Key (CSTC 1990). Rarely nests in Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas.
    ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104885