Chelonia+mydas



Genus: Chelonia Species: mydas Common Name: Green Turtle Class: Reptilia Order: Testudines Family:Cheloniidae Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata

-get their name from the color of their body fat, which is green from the algae they eat - green sea turtles depend on bacteria in their guts for digestion of plant material -Adult green sea turtles can weigh up to 500 pounds and are often found living near coral reefs and rocky shorelines -Over time shells can become covered with algea - take between 10 to 50 years to reach sexual maturity - 25 years is the average. (Their long period of maturation helps to explain why it takes them so many years to recover from a substantial population decline) -Male and female green sea turtles look virtually alike until they mature -once mature the males have long, thick tails, while the females have short, stubby ones -Juvenile green sea turtles diet consists of jellyfish and other invertebrates.
 * About the Green Turtle :**

Year Assessed: 2004 Justification: Green turtles were assessed as endangered after an analysis of events indicated population reductions in all major ocean basins over the last 3 generations as a result of overexploitation of eggs and adult females at nesting beaches, juveniles and adults in forging areas, and to a lesser extinct, incidental mortality becuase of marine fisheries and destruction of nesting habitats

Green turtles have been afforded legislative protection under a number of treaties and laws. A partial list of the International Instruments that benefit green turtles includes:
 * the Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles
 * the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Marine Turtles and their Habitats of the Indian Ocean and South-East Asia (IOSEA)
 * the Memorandum of Understanding on ASEAN Sea Turtle Conservation and Protection
 * the Memorandum of Agreement on the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area (TIHPA)
 * the Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Conservation Measures for Marine Turtles of the Atlantic Coast of Africa.

As a result of these designations and agreements, many of the intentional impacts directed at sea turtles have been lessened: harvest of eggs and adults has been slowed at several nesting areas through nesting beach conservation efforts and an increasing number of community-based initiatives are in place to slow the take of turtles in foraging areas. In regard to incidental take, the implementation of Turtle Excluder Devices has proved to be beneficial in some areas, primarily in the United States and South and Central America, However, despite these advances, human impacts continue throughout the world. The lack of effective monitoring in fisheries operations still kills turtles, and the uncontrolled development of coastal and marine habitats threatens to destroy the supporting ecosystems of green turtles.



The Green Turtle is found in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Green turtles population is decreasing still.

Latitude: 40 degrees North 50 degrees South

Temperature of the Atlantic Ocean is 10 to 25 degrees Celsius Salinity of the Atlantic Ocean is 35 to 37 pss

Since the Chelonia mydas lives and migrates throught the Atlantic Ocean many currents effect it.
 * North Atlantic Drift
 * Gulf Stream
 * Canary
 * North Equitprial
 * Equitorial counter
 * South equitorial
 * Brazil
 * Benguela

Green sea turtle populations migrate primarily along the coasts from nesting to feeding grounds. Some populations travel 2,094 km across the Atlantic Ocean.

Which Geological Processes occur in the Atlantic Ocean:
 * Landslides-Yes
 * Earthquakes-No
 * Tsunamis- Yes becuase of landslides
 * Volcanoes- Yes
 * Sea Floor Spreading- Yes
 * Subduction- Yes

The High tide in the Atlantic Ocean is around 2.09 The low tide in the Atlantic Ocean is around .45 The average tidal range in the Atlantic ocean is 1.64

Population is not known becuase since male turtles dont come the the beach it is hard to estimate

Mating occurs every two to four years and normally takes place in shallow waters close to the shore adult females return to land in order to lay their eggs Its beleived that nesting female turtles return to the same beach where they were born This beach is known as a natal beach Green Sea turtles only nest at night The turtle uses their front flippers to dig a broad pit in the sand and her rear flippers carve out a bottle shaped burrow. The turtle lays the clutch (which contains approximately 100 eggs) in the burrow and covers it carefully with sand. Then the turtle buries the pit completly to hide the location of the nest. Then the turtle leaves the beach that is the only time they do anything for their offspring.
 * Reproduction:**

- Green sea turtle eggs take about 2 months to incubate -Studies indicate that the temp of the eggsa during incubation influences the sex of the baby turtles. Lower temps=male High temps=female -The baby turtles are able to break through the eggshell by chipping away at the shell with their egg tooth -It takes the turtle a number of days to dig their way out -Working together they dig till they are an inch away from the surface. if its hot they wait till its cooler to emerge - Its safer to emerge during the night becuase they are able to avoide the harsh rays of the sun and predatory birds -the baby turtles find their way to the ocean, by heading towards the brightest horizon (artificail lights on nesting beaches can mean death to the young turtles as they may confuse them and cause them to lose their way




 * Anatomy:**

-One single pair of prefrontal scales in front of its eyes (other sea turtles have two) -Small beaked blunt head -serrated jaw -nearly oval body -1 visibal claw on flipper - flippers -short neck -cold blooded

Solutions: better tracking of migration patterns less use of hooking for fishing and also checking hooks to see if anything but fish is caught better protection on nesting beaches


 * Questions:

1. What do juvinile green sea turtles eat?

2.Where do the green sea turtles get there color from

3. What time do green sea turtles lay eggs?**

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