Green Turtle

Common Name :Green Turtle

Local Name :Penyu Agar, Penyu Pulau

Scientific Name:Chelonia mydas

Description:Named for the green color of the fat under its shell. Head is small and blunt with a serrated jaw. All flippers have 1 visible claw.

Size & Weight:Adults are 3.5 to 4 feet in carapace length (76-91 cm). Weighing between 300 to 400 pounds (136-180 kg). The largest ever found was 5 feet (152 cm) in length and 871 pounds (395 kg).

Diet:Changes significantly during its life. Strictly herbivorous as an adult. Eats mostly seagrass and algae. Their jaws are finely serrated which aids them in tearing vegetation.

Habitat & Range:Mainly stay near the coastline and around islands and live in bays and protected shores, especially in areas with seagrass beds. Rarely are they observed in the open ocean. Found in all temperate and tropical waters throughout the world.

Nesting:Green turtles nest at intervals of 2, 3, or more years, with wide year-to-year fluctuations in numbers of nesting females. Nests between 3 to 5 times per season. Lays an average of 115 eggs in each nest, with the eggs incubating for about 60 days.

Threats:Commercial harvesting of eggs and food. Other green turtle parts are used for leather and small turtles are sometimes stuffed for curios. Incidental catch in commercial fishing is an increasing source of mortality.