Green Sea Turtles
Chelonia Mydas
Charecteristics
The Green Sea Turtle is one of the largest sea turtle species. They are can grow up to 5ft long and weigh up to 700lbs. They have a small head, one visible claw on their flippers, a wide, smooth shell with a brownish olive color and a yellow belly. They get their name from their green skin.
Last Seen
A lot of Green Sea Turtles was last seen living in the tropical and subtropical areas, but now not so much. People cant accurately calculate the total amount of the Green Sea Turtles because the males don't come back to shore so they only count the females. People believe that there has been a 48% to 67% decline in the population. The green sea turtle hasn't been surveyed long enough to determine the world population but people believe that in the U.S there are between 200 and 1000 green sea turtles.
Culprits
Humans
Humans seem to be the main cause for the sea turtle disappearance. They are linked to many things that affect the population of the Green sea Turtle and reduce there population. One example is poaching and how people hunt the sea turtles for there meat, eggs, and to make different objects like sunglasses and jewelry. Even though it is banned people still do this.
Human activity near beaches
Human activity near beaches causes females to have to cross obstacles like chairs to lay their eggs and sometimes they fail. Lighting can also cause confusion to baby turtles when they have just hatched and are trying to find the beach so they end up going to roads or buildings. Boats can also cause a lot of deaths in sea turtles, because when they come up for air they get hit.
Disease
Fibropapillomas is the most common disease among the green sea turtles. It causes them to have tumors on the outside of their body, and it affects their everyday life. There is no known cause of the disease yet, or how it is transmitted.
Recovery Plan
The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and The National Marine Fisheries Service have funded research for Fibropapillomas. Coastal communities are also developing lighting laws so that the hatchlings don't get confused on where to go.
Reward
Green Sea turtles are important to have because they are one of the very few animals to eat sea grass. The sea grass acts as a breeding ground for many fish, and it is important to the ecosystem. Sea turtles also help the sand where they lay there eggs because it doesn't get as much nutrients. Eggs that don't make it out of their nest are a source of nutrients for the sand.