Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Family: Cheloniidae
Listing Status: and
General Information
The green sea turtle grows to a maximum size of about 4 feet and a weight of 440 pounds. It has a heart-shaped shell, small head, and single-clawed flippers. Color is variable. Hatchlings generally have a black carapace, white plastron, and white margins on the shell and limbs. The adult carapace is smooth, keelless, and light to dark brown with dark mottling; the plastron is whitish to light yellow. Adult heads are light brown with yellow markings. Identifying characteristics include four pairs of costal scutes, none of which borders the nuchal scute, and only one pair of prefrontal scales between the eyes.
Population detail
The FWS is currently monitoring the following populations of the Green sea turtle
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This map represents our best available information about where a species is currently known to or or is believed to occur; however, it should NOT be used as an official species list for Section 7 Consultation purposes. To obtain an official species list for this purpose, please visit the Information, Planning, and Conservation (IPaC) System (click here: http://ecos.fws.gov/ipac)
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Population location: Breeding colony populations in FL and on Pacific coast of Mexico
Listing status: Endangered
- States/US Territories in which this population is known to or is believed to occur: Florida
- US Counties in which this population is known to or is believed to occur: View All
- USFWS Refuges in which this population is known to occur:
ARCHIE CARR NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, CEDAR KEYS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, CHASSAHOWITZKA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, EGMONT KEY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, HOBE SOUND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
... Show All Refuges
- Countries in which the this population is known to occur: Mexico, United States
- For more information: http://www.fws.gov/northflorida/Species-Accounts/SpeciesInfo.htm
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Population location: Wherever found except where listed as endangered
Listing status: Threatened
- States/US Territories in which this population is known to or is believed to occur: Alabama , American Samoa , California , Connecticut , Delaware , Georgia , Guam , Hawaii , Louisiana , Maine , Maryland , Massachusetts , Mississippi , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New York , North Carolina , Northern Mariana Islands , Oregon , Palau , Puerto Rico , Rhode Island , South Carolina , Texas , US Minor Outlying Islands , Virginia , Virgin Islands , Washington
- US Counties in which this population is known to or is believed to occur: View All
- USFWS Refuges in which this population is known to occur:
ARANSAS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, BACK BAY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, BRETON NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, CULEBRA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, DELTA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
... Show All Refuges
- Countries in which the this population is known to occur: American Samoa, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Liberia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mayotte, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Nauru, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States, U.S. Pacific Outlying Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen
- For more information: http://www.fws.gov/northflorida/Species-Accounts/SpeciesInfo.htm
| Status | Date Listed | Lead Region | Where Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07/28/1978 | Southeast Region (Region 4) | FL, Mexico nesting pops. | |
| 07/28/1978 | Southeast Region (Region 4) | except where endangered |
» Federal Register Documents
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» Recovery
Recovery Plan Information Search| Date | Title | Plan Action Status | Plan Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/29/1991 | Recovery Plan for U.S. Population of Atlantic Green Turtle | View Implementation Progress | Final Revision 1 |
| 01/12/1998 | Recovery Plan for U.S. Pacific Populations of the Green Turtle | View Implementation Progress | Final Revision 1 |
| 10/29/1991 | Recovery Plan for U.S. Population of Atlantic Green Turtle | View Implementation Progress | Final Revision 1 |
| 01/12/1998 | Recovery Plan for U.S. Pacific Populations of the East Pacific Green Turtle | View Implementation Progress | Final Revision 1 |
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 08/22/2007 | Green sea turtle 5-yr review |
| 08/22/2007 | Green sea turtle 5-yr review |
» Critical Habitat
| Date | Citation Page | Title | Document Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03/23/1999 | 64 FR 14052 14077 | (NOAA/NMFS) Endangered and Threatened Species; Regulations Consolidation; Final Rule | Final Rule | Final designated |
| 09/02/1998 | 63 FR 46693 46701 | Designated Critical Habitat; Green and Hawksbill Sea Turtles | Final Rule | Not Required |
To learn more about critical habitat please see http://criticalhabitat.fws.gov
» Conservation Plans
| HCP Plan Summaries |
|---|
| Crum, Blaine & Linda (ABM) |
| FML81A, LLC (Greg Miller) |
| FML81,LLC (Greg MIller) |
| Indian River County Sea Turtle |
| Roberds, George |
» Petitions
No petition findings have been published for the Green sea turtle.
» Life History
Habitat Requirements
Green turtles are generally found in fairly shallow waters (except when migrating) inside reefs, bays, and inlets. The turtles are attracted to lagoons and shoals with an abundance of marine grass and algae. Open beaches with a sloping platform and minimal disturbance are required for nesting. Green turtles apparently have a strong nesting site fidelity and often make long distance migrations between feeding grounds and nesting beaches. Hatchlings have been observed to seek refuge and food in Sargassum rafts.
Food Habits
Hatchling green turtles eat a variety of plants and animals, but adults feed almost exclusively on seagrasses and marine algae.
Movement / Home Range
The green turtle has a worldwide distribution in tropical and subtropical waters. Major green turtle nesting colonies in the Atlantic occur on Ascension Island, Aves Island, Costa Rica, and Surinam. Within the U.S., green turtles nest in small numbers in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, and in larger numbers in Florida. The Florida green turtle nesting aggregation is recognized as a regionally significant colony. About 200 to 1,100 females are estimated to nest on beaches in the continental U.S. In the U.S. Pacific, over 90 percent of nesting throughout the Hawaiian archipelago occurs at the French Frigate Shoals, where about 200 to 700 females nest each year. Elsewhere in the U.S. Pacific, nesting takes place at scattered locations in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, Guam, and American Samoa. In the western Pacific, the largest green turtle nesting aggregation in the world occurs on Raine Island, Australia, where thousands of females nest nightly in an average nesting season. In the Indian Ocean, major nesting beaches occur in Oman where 6,000 to 20,000 females are reported to nest annually.
Reproductive Strategy
The nesting season varies with the locality. In the Southeastern U.S., it is roughly June through September. Nesting occurs nocturnally at 2, 3, or 4-year intervals. Only occasionally do females produce clutches in successive years. A female may lay as a many as nine clutches within a nesting season (overall average is about 3.3 nests per season) at about 13-day intervals. Clutch size varies from 75 to 200 eggs, with an average clutch size of 136 eggs reported for Florida. Incubation ranges from about 45 to 75 days, depending on incubation temperatures. Hatchlings generally emerge at night. Age at sexual maturity is believed to be 20 to 50 years.
Other
The term "green" applies not to the external coloration, but to the color of the turtle's subdermal fat.
» Other Resources
NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.
ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.
