Green Sea Turtle

Chelonia mydas 

Habitat & Distribution :  Tropical & Subtropical Waters Worldwide 

Diet : Sea sponge, jellyfish, algae, sea grass, tunicates, echinoderms 

Size : 1,2 m 

Lifespan: 80+ years 

Description

Large, hard-shelled sea turtle with a dorsoventrally flattened body, small head, and paddle-like flippers. The shell is usually olive, brown, or black with mottled patterns, while the underside is yellowish-white. 

Behavior

They are generally solitary, highly migratory, and exhibit nocturnal nesting behavior, returning to the same beaches where they hatched to lay eggs every 2–5 years. 

Reproduction

They migrate long distances to mate in shallow waters near nesting beaches every 2–4 years. Females lay 2–5 clutches of 80–120 eggs per season, which incubate in the sand for about 60 days. 

Communication & Perception

Primarily through a combination of pulses, rumbles, squeaks, grunts and body language, particularly during migration and mating. They use gestures like flipper nudges, head bobbing, and shell bumping to signal courtship or establish territory, while hatchlings communicate to synchronize emerging from the nest. 

Predator(s)

Sharks, orcas, crocodiles