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Welcome to Green Sea Turtle Day!
Did you know that the green turtle is the second largest sea turtle specie? It can grow up to 4 feet and weigh 500 pounds! Interestingly, their diet consists of Seagrass, algae, seaweeds, other marine plant life. Their beak is sharp and finely serrated, perfectly adapted for grazing in seagrass beds and scraping algae off of hard surfaces.
Green sea turtles are believed to improve the health of seagrass beds. They will graze the beds, taking off the tops of leaf blades, while avoiding the roots. The seagrass will grow healthier and faster with a daily trim.
Reaching maturity around 25-35 years old, it is estimated that green sea turtles can live for at least 70 years. As hatchlings they spend time in open ocean habitat and return to nearshore coastal habitats as juveniles and adults. (2nd and 3rd photos are of a juvenile green turtle taken on a Conserve Turtles field trip with Marine Turtle Research Group , permit MTP-231, 186)
Green sea turtles will nest 3-5 times per season and lay about 115 eggs per nest. Eggs incubate for roughly 2 months before hatching. Like most sea turtles, females prefer to nest out on open sandy beach.
Green sea turtles can be found in the sub-tropics and tropics worldwide, with major nesting beaches in Tortuguero (Costa Rica), Oman, Florida, and Raine Island (Australia) where thousands of turtles nest each night during peak nesting season.
Fibropapilloma (also known as FP) has been documented in all seven species; however, green turtles are the most commonly and severely affected. FP is a disease associated with lesions and rapid tumor growth on the eyes, mouth, and soft-skin areas, as well as internal organs.