- You are here:Our endangered animals
- Endangered animals list
- Green Turtle
Green Turtle
Testudines Cheloniidae
Chelonia Mydas
Click the image to expand
The meat and eggs of the Green Turtle have always been a popular food. They are hunted and captured, and now their numbers are dropping all over the world.
Shell size: 80-100cm
Weight: 70-230kg
(Source: Doubutsu Sekai-isan* Red Data Animals Kodansha) (*World Animal Heritage)
They live in many areas, from tropical to cooler waters.
Other sea turtles are meat-eaters, but Green Turtles like to eat seaweed. Young Green Turtles also eat crabs and jellyfish.
They dig holes in sandy beaches on the coasts to lay their eggs in. They swim a long way from the distant seas where they usually live.
Find out more about the Green Turtle!
They aren't really green?
They are called Green Turtles, but when you look at them they aren't really green. Green is the color of the fat inside their bodies. Green Turtles have always been popular as food. Maybe their name came from what they look like on the inside. The Green Turtles' numbers have dropped since they and their eggs were captured by people.
They can't lay eggs on a concrete coast...
The loss of sandy beaches is hurting the Green Turtles. They have to lay their eggs in the sand, not concrete. Actions to preserve the Green Turtles' numbers have helped in some areas, but not very often. Their disappearance is very real.
See other animals related to this one.
If you click the words above, you can see other animals related to this one.
See animals that live in the same region.
See animals that are endangered for the same reason.
Watch a video of the animal
