Chelonia mydas · Green Sea Turtle
Chelonia mydas · Estimated age: 5–15 years
The green sea turtle is one of Earth's most ancient mariners — a living relic navigating oceans for over 100 million years. This specimen represents the subadult stage: old enough to roam open water, young enough to still be finding its path.
ExploreBiology & Anatomy
The green sea turtle's streamlined carapace and powerful front flippers make it one of the ocean's most graceful swimmers — capable of travelling vast distances with minimal energy expenditure, often resting on the seafloor for up to seven hours.
What sets the green turtle apart is its diet: as an adult, it grazes almost exclusively on seagrass and algae — the only sea turtle to do so — giving its fat a distinctive greenish hue that inspired its common name.
Life cycle
From nest to nesting ground — decades in the making
Conservation
Classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, the green sea turtle faces mounting pressure from human activity. Six of seven sea turtle species are now threatened with extinction — a crisis unfolding across all the world's oceans.
Plastic Pollution
Over 8 million tonnes of plastic enter oceans annually. Turtles ingest plastic bags mistaken for jellyfish, causing fatal intestinal blockages and starvation.
Climate & Temperature
Rising sand temperatures skew sex ratios — some nesting sites now produce over 99% female hatchlings, threatening long-term genetic viability of populations.
Fisheries Bycatch
An estimated 250,000 sea turtles are accidentally hooked or entangled in fishing gear each year. Longlines, trawls and gillnets are particularly lethal.
Coastal Development
Light pollution from buildings disorients hatchlings away from the sea. Beach development destroys nesting habitat — and sea-level rise threatens what remains.