Green Sea Turtles
One of the largest turtles in the world is the green sea turtle, which has a range that extends throughout the tropical regions of the world, including in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The turtle is currently listed as endangered and it is illegal to hunt or kill them, anywhere in the world.
Appearance
The green sea turtle resembles most sea turtles in that it has a beaked head and short neck, along with paddle arms for swimming. Some turtles have been found to reach 700 pounds in weight, but the average weight is 440 pounds. The largest ever found weighed in at 871 pounds.
The turtle will often have various color patterns that will change over time. When they are hatchlings, their shell will be black, but as they grow older it will begin to take on different colors.
Habitat
The turtles are one of the oldest studied, and as a result, a great deal is known about their habits. Typically, the green sea turtle will have three different habitat types during the course of their life. They will be born on nesting beaches, where they will also return to lay eggs. The hatchlings will choose deep waters where they can spend the first years of their lives, while a mature sea green turtle will spend most of its time on coastal waters, within bays, lagoons and shoals.
The Green Sea Turtle and Humans
It is illegal to hunt the green sea turtle, but they still get caught worldwide by accident. Years ago, they were caught for use as handbags in Hawaii, and in China, they were considered a delicacy.
In Indonesia, their eggs were a delicacy, while the flesh was considered unclean under Islamic law.
Before they were put under the Endangered Species Act and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, many commercial farms operated, where turtles were bred for sale. Often, these places had as many as 100,000 green sea turtles at any one time. Now, they have been converted into tourist attractions, with as many as 11,000 green sea turtles in stock.
Conclusion
The Green Sea Turtle is a well known species of sea turtles that have proven to be sight throughout tropical regions. Despite their beauty, or perhaps as a result of it, they were often targeted by man and eventually, they neared extinction. However, thanks to the efforts of many, they are back on the rise and the day may soon come when they will swim the oceans in their previous numbers.