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Chelonia mydas
Photo take at -40 ft near a Caribbean reef. Another local turtle.The green sea turtle, possessing a dorsoventrally flattened body covered by a large, teardrop-shaped carapace and a pair of large, paddle-like flippers. Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world ,top shell carapace is smooth with shades of black, gray, green, brown, and yellow; their bottom shell plastron is yellowish white.
Adult green turtles are unique among sea turtles in that they eat only plants; they are herbivorous, feeding primarily on seagrasses and algae. This diet is thought to give them greenish-colored fat, from which they take their name.Adult females migrate from foraging areas to mainland or island nesting beaches and may travel hundreds or thousands of kilometers each way. After emerging from the nest, hatchlings swim to offshore areas, where they are believed to live for several years, feeding close to the surface on a variety of pelagic plants and animals. Once the juveniles reach a certain age/size range, they leave the pelagic habitat and travel to nearshore foraging grounds. Once they move to these nearshore benthic habitats, adult green turtles are almost exclusively herbivores, feeding on sea grasses and algae.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has repeatedly listed green sea turtles in its Red List as an endangered species.
12 Comments
WOW! Another one! Great!
It seems I am not alone in having a terrible sense of direction! :)
Thanks Karen well is a happy history at the end.
I love your sea turtle spottings Gerardo!
We saw one last week in the Vancouver Aquarium that was found near death swimming off the coast of British Columbia in late 2010. They think she followed the gulf stream & became disoriented & unable to feed in the cold water there. She is now completely rehabilitated & her weight has tripled but they don't feel she would survive in the wild so she will remain at the Aquarium.
Thanks Stian, Viv and Jake!!
Fantastic pictures Gerardo!
Fabulous images Gerardo! Lucky you
One of my favorite among the marine life, got to see a loggerhead last year in Cozumel, had to have been nearly 6ft long, the head was larger than mine
Thanks Blogie!
Very nice pictures, Gerardo!
Gracias Luis!
Great Pics Gerardo !