21/11/2021
Enjoy our turtles with respect. Social distance at 6 feet, please.
Happy Fish Spotlight Friday! Today's spotlight shines on the Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas). Green Sea turtles are the second largest species of sea turtles and are an endangered species due to widespread overharvesting until the 1970’s. Found frequently in inshore waters, they are widely distributed in subtropical areas of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean. They appear in many countries, so working together to protect them is vital.
Green sea turtles typically migrate to shallow waters when foraging (searching for food). They are unique as the only herbivorous species of sea turtle, with a diet consisting of algae and seagrasses. They are the largest turtle with a hard shell, with brown, gray, and olive-green colors. Their shells have large scale-like plates called “scutes” oriented with 5 in row along the middle and 4 others to either side.
During the breeding season, mating occurs in foraging areas, on migration routes, and in nearshore waters. During the nesting season, females may lay up to 110 eggs per nest every 2 weeks over several months before leaving the nesting area. After 2 months in the warm sand, eggs hatch at night and the hatchlings turn seaward to get to the open ocean. They move towards the light of the moon, which is why red streetlamps are used near nesting beaches to not confuse them! Hatchlings will swim out into the open ocean for several years before returning to shallow coastal habitats as juveniles, where they grow to adulthood and spend the remainder of their life.
Green sea turtles are important because they maintain seagrass beds and allow seagrasses to be more productive to provide habitat for juvenile organisms, stabilize the bottom, and maintain water quality. In territorial and federal waters around the USVI, the harvest, possession, or harassment of sea turtles and their eggs is prohibited. Keep an eye out for green sea turtles the next time you’re in or near the waters of the USVI!
📸 @ DFW Staff
