|
Green sea turtles or the chelonia mydas (its scientific name) have long been dominating the seas, but today, they are gradually losing its breed and the danger of extinction is already apparent.
Green sea turtles basically got their names because of the striking color of their body- that is of course, green. One theory is that green sea turtles get their pigment because of the green algae or limu that they take as food.
 Young green sea turtles tend to be carnivores, but as they enter adulthood, they become herbivores and eat plants as part of their diet. Their digestive system has a certain bacteria that are able to digest the plant materials that they eat. Because they often seek for food, you can often find them near coral reefs where green algae are abundant. From time to time, you can also find them in rocky shorelines.
The life span of a green sea turtle varies. The very reason why this breed of turtles is slowly getting extinct is because of the relatively slow process of their reproduction. It would take a green sea turtle to reach its full sexual maturity in about 25 years. This is why these sea creatures have a substantial decrease in population.
To tell the gender of a green sea turtle, you simply have to take look at its physical appearance. Male have thick and long tails while female sea turtles have short and stout tails. When they are about to lay their eggs, the females return to the beach shore where they where born. Biologists refer this concept as the natal beach. Mother turtles only nest their eggs when nighttime falls. From the seashore, they use their front flippers to reach the sand. On an average, they can lay about 100 sea green turtle eggs in one night. After she laid her eggs in a burrow, she would then use the sand to cover her nest. The French Frigate Shoals are said to be the most famous natal beach for sea green turtles.
For a green sea turtle to incubate, it would take 2 months. Once they are hatched, they head on to the ocean to live. But sad to say, there are hatchlings that do not even reach the shore. Some predators, like crabs and humans, can put these little turtles at risk. For some, even if they are lucky enough to reach the sea, large fish carnivores can eat them up.
In your little way, you can help protect the existence of sea green turtles by simply keeping the ocean clean and making others aware the possibility of the extinction of these beautiful sea creatures. Save the green sea turtles!
|
