If you love turtle photos, I just have a few here on this site, but I have some of my favorite images for purchase at kathyboast.photoreflect.com Look for them under Sea Life event - You'll also "sea" some dolphin and other sea life in that album as well. If you want to use these for a school project, feel free, but if you are using them on other projects please consider sending a donation via paypal.
Today these turtles are protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Even though it looks like their numbers are growing, there are fewer females returning each year to nest.
A female sea turtle has a short tail. See Male below to see the difference.
Green sea turtles are sometimes spotted in tide pools feeding on seaweed (limu). They are the fastest swimmers, they can swim for brief periods at a speed of nearly 35 miles per hour, but on land they are slow.
Turtles are curious and often swim close to divers.
Make sure you let the turtles come to you, you will be rewarded for your
patience.
This young honu (turle) was being curious about me and my camera.
During recent years, green sea turtles have begun to crawl out on the sand and rocks to bask and rest, primarily during daylight hours.
This basking is a natural behavior special to the Hawaiian green turtles. Sea Turtles are reptiles which are cold- blooded animals, which means they can not make their own body heat and need the environment to warm them. So when the honu come to shore to sun and rest, PLEASE let them rest..
This is a Male Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle. Notice the long tail?
Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles are a THREATENED Species protected by both state and federal law. IT IS ILLEGAL TO DISTURB THEM IN THE OCEAN OR ON THE BEACH and fines can be imposed for doing so.
All turtles, including sea and freshwater species, lay their
eggs on land. A green turtle may lay as many as seven clutches (groups) of eggs
during one breeding season. About 45% of the time, the female exits the water,
crawls the beach for long distances and reenters the water without digging a
nest. These are called "false crawls" and usually occur because the turtle was
disturbed or it could not find a "good" nest site. It is believed that a female
turtle will return to the same beach where she was born.
A female Green Sea Turtle heading back to sea.
Incubation of the nests takes about 50-55 days. The temperature of the
eggs influences the sex of the baby turtles. Example, a warmer temperature
produce female turtles. After the incubation period, the hatchlings emerge from
the nest in masses. Using various environmental and inherited cues, they quickly
migrate to the water's edge. If artificial lights are lighting the beach, the
hatchlings will be disoriented, travel in the wrong direction, and possibly
never make it to the water. That's why you hear the saying Light Out for
Turtles!
Researchers counting the eggs of a Green Sea Turtle clutch.
Once in the water the hatchlings swim directly out to sea, facing a perilous struggle to survive to adulthood. The best scientific estimates available indicate that only one in 1,000 to 10,000 hatchlings will survive (anywhere from 12-50 years) to become a reproducing and nesting adult sea turtle.
A baby Green Sea Turtle.
The two known predators to the sea turtles are
(tiger) sharks and people. We can't do much about the sharks, but maybe we can
make a difference with people through education and awareness.
The
maximum age of adult turtles is not known.
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Turtles are air breathing reptiles and must return to the surface every 10-15 minutes. When sleeping, an adult sea turtles can go up to 2 hours without coming to the surface for air, a young turtle must float at the surface when resting.
This turtle is feeding on seaweed (limu). Adult green sea turtles are plant eaters. Whereas the juvenile are carnivorous. Their diets includes fish, jelly fish and other invertebrates.
Turtles will return back to sea when they are ready
