The Introduction of Green Sea Turtles

Sea turtles are the general term of the marine turtles, they are the largest marine reptiles. There are eight species of sea turtles in the world, while in China there are five species, namely green turtles, hawksbill turtles, loggerhead turtles, red head turtles and leatherback turtles. They are distributed in South China Sea, East China Sea and Yellow Sea, but mainly concentrated in South China Sea.

Green turtles and loggerhead turtles are the main types of sea turtles in China. Now, let me make a brief introduction of green turtles to you.

Green sea turtle is the largest number, widely distributed and most well-known specie among the eight species of marine turtles. It is named for the green color of the fat under its shell. It is widely distributed in the south and north latitude 30 degrees or 40 degrees of the sea, especially in East China Sea and South China Sea.

The size of green sea turtles ranges in length from 2 to 6 feet. The male green turtles are averaging a little larger than females. The adults weigh up between 300 to 400 pounds. They can weigh up to more than 600 pounds. The largest green turtle ever found was 5 feet in length and 870 pounds.

The green turtles live in warm, tropical oceans throughout the world. They spend their lives in warm and shallow water. Only when the female green turtles come on shore to nest, will they leave the water. Their limbs are flattened and flipper-like, are used for swimming.

The diet of green sea turtles changes significantly during its life. When the green turtles are less than 8 to 10 inches in length, they eat worms, aquatic insects, grasses and algae. While once they reach up to 8 to 10 inches, they mostly eat sea grasses and algae.

The green turtles nest at intervals of two, three or more years. The female green turtles deposit their eggs at night, it takes about two hours. They lay an average of 110-115 eggs in each nest, and the eggs incubating for about 60 days.

Now, more and more people hunt and kill the green sea turtles, so they are listed as endangered species in the United States. The greatest threat is from the commercial harvest for eggs and food. The number of green turtles is reducing sharply year by year. It not only has an effect on the environment, but also effects humanity itself.

Sea turtle is our friend. All of us have the responsibility to protect them from hunting and killing. As the number of green sea turtles is reducing year by year, we should take some actions to protect them. http://www.seaturtles911.org is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of turtles, especially green sea turtles. You can learn more about green turtles on the website. Also, in recent years, more and more people join in the organization to protect and save sea turtles. If you also want to make your own contribution to the protection of turtles, you can participate in the organization and become a volunteer to protect green sea turtles.