Green turtle

Green turtle
Chelonia mydas
Max. size: 1.8 m for 150 Kg

 

Geographical distribution:
Tropical and temperate sea species. 

 

Biology:
Hunted for centuries for their tasty flesh used to make the well-known soup, these turtles are now protected by international conventions.  

Green turtles live in different habitats depending on their stage of development.  They are born on beaches like all turtles, after which the young turtles migrate into the open sea for 5 years.  They then migrate towards the coasts.  When they reach sexual maturity at around 15-20 years, they migrate back to their reproduction site to bury as many as a hundred eggs in the sand.

The young green turtle is carnivorous and becomes omnivorous in the coral reefs and finally herbivorous once adult. At the Grand Aquarium, the green turtle feeds on batavia lettuce three times a week.

 

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