Green Sea Turtle
Chelonia mydas · Animal
The green sea turtle is named for the greenish colour of its fat, not its shell. Adults graze on seagrass and algae, keeping seagrass meadows healthy.
Key facts
- Scientific name
- Chelonia mydas
- Kind
- Animal
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN LC)
- Habitat
- Tropical seas · seagrass beds
- Range
- Tropical and subtropical oceans
- Size
- Shell up to about 1.2 m
- Weight
- 68–190 kg
- Lifespan
- 60–70+ years
- Diet
- Herbivore (adults)
- Activity
- Long-distance migrant
- Population
- Recovering in many regions
Diet
Young turtles eat a varied diet; adults graze mostly on seagrass and algae.
Behavior
Females return to the beach where they hatched to lay their eggs, often after migrating thousands of kilometres.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Testudines
- Family
- Cheloniidae
- Genus
- Chelonia
- Species
- C. mydas
Conservation
In 2025 the IUCN moved the green turtle from Endangered to Least Concern globally after decades of nesting-beach protection, though several regional populations remain threatened.
Main threats
- Fishing bycatch
- Plastic pollution
- Coastal development