Reptiles Active day and night

Green Sea Turtle

Chelonia mydas

iNaturalist Wikipedia

Meet the ocean's most famous gardener. The Green Sea Turtle is a majestic marine wanderer whose diet of seagrass keeps our coastal ecosystems healthy and vibrant.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Carapace length of 80-120 cm (31-47 inches); weight typically ranges from 150-190 kg (330-420 lbs)

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Colors

Carapace is mottled olive, brown, or black; plastron (underside) is pale yellow or cream. Adults do not show sexual dimorphism in color, though males have longer tails.

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Key Features

Single pair of prefrontal scales between eyes
Heart-shaped, smooth carapace with four lateral scutes
Serrated lower jaw adapted for grazing
Large, paddle-like flippers with a single visible claw

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern Active day and night

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Peak hours Foraging occurs during daylight; nesting and hatchling emergence occur almost exclusively at night.

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Season Year-round in tropical waters; nesting peaks June-September in the Northern Hemisphere and December-March in the Southern Hemisphere.

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Diet Adults are unique among sea turtles for being primarily herbivorous, grazing on seagrasses and algae. Juveniles are omnivorous, eating jellyfish, sponges, and small crustaceans.

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Habitat Coastal waters, particularly shallow lagoons with seagrass beds, coral reefs, and sandy beaches for nesting.

public Geographic range

Where Does the Green Sea Turtle Live?

The Green Sea Turtle is a truly global species, inhabiting the tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. They are native to the coastlines of over 140 countries, with significant populations centered around the Caribbean, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and the Hawaiian archipelago. While they roam the open ocean as juveniles, adults remain primarily within the coastal zones of equatorial regions.

Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors

9 Countries

155M km² Range

Endangered Conservation

US United States AU Australia CR Costa Rica MX Mexico ID Indonesia BR Brazil PH Philippines TH Thailand JP Japan

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iNaturalist / Verified observation data

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Behavior

Green sea turtles are the world's great maritime wanderers, known for undertaking extraordinary migrations that span thousands of miles between their feeding grounds and the specific natal beaches where they return to nest. While they spend most of their time submerged, they are air-breathers that must surface every few minutes when active, though they can stay underwater for several hours while resting or sleeping.

These turtles are generally solitary but can be found in large numbers in areas with abundant seagrass or during the nesting season. They are remarkably graceful in the water, using their powerful front flippers to 'fly' through the marine environment. While they are often wary of humans, they have become a staple of ecotourism in areas where they have grown accustomed to snorkelers and divers.

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Camera Tips

Capturing Green Sea Turtles on a trail camera requires a coastal setup, specifically targeting nesting beaches or tidal flats. If you are monitoring a nesting beach, place your camera on a low stake (about 12-18 inches high) near the vegetation line where turtles are likely to dig their nests. Angle the camera slightly upward to catch the turtle's face and the high-arching shell. Because these animals are highly sensitive to light, it is critical to use 'No-Glow' or 'Black' infrared flash settings; a standard white flash or even a visible red glow can cause a nesting female to abandon her eggs and return to the sea.

Timing is everything when filming on the beach. Set your camera to burst mode or short video clips (15-30 seconds) during the night hours of the nesting season. Look for 'crawls'—distinctive tracks in the sand that look like heavy tire treads—to identify high-traffic paths. If you are hoping to capture hatchlings, monitor the nest site approximately 45 to 60 days after the eggs were laid, focusing the camera on the depression in the sand where the 'boil' of emerging turtles will occur.

For those with access to saltwater docks or backyard canals in tropical regions, consider mounting a camera overlooking a known seagrass patch during high tide. Green Sea Turtles are creatures of habit and often return to the same grazing spots daily. Using a polarized filter on your camera lens can help reduce water surface glare, allowing you to see the turtle's shell more clearly as it surfaces for air or grazes in the shallows.

Frequently Asked Questions

While Green Sea Turtles forage for seagrass during the day, their most critical activities—nesting for adults and emerging from the sand for hatchlings—take place almost entirely at night to avoid predators and the heat of the sun.

If you live on a beachfront, you cannot lure them with food, but you can make your property 'turtle-friendly' by turning off all outdoor lights during nesting season. Artificial light disorients them, so a dark beach is the best way to encourage them to visit.

Adult Green Sea Turtles are the only herbivorous sea turtles. They eat a diet strictly composed of seagrasses and various types of marine algae, which eventually turns their internal body fat green.

They are frequently seen in coastal suburban areas with saltwater access, such as the canals of Florida, the beaches of Hawaii, or coastal towns along the Great Barrier Reef, where they graze in shallow backyard waterways.

Look at the head and shell. Green Sea Turtles have a blunt snout and a single pair of scales between their eyes, while Hawksbills have a sharp, bird-like beak and a shell with overlapping scales that look like shingles.

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