Species Spotlight: Green Turtle

Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) swimming, Kona, Hawaii, United States

Questions and Answers

What determines the gender of each turtle that hatches?
The gender of marine turtle hatchlings is dependent on temperature of the sand; warmer temperatures produce female hatchlings and cooler nests produce males.

Where did green sea turtles get their name?
Green turtles are named for the greenish color of their cartilage and fat, not their shells.

Do all sea turtles come ashore?
Male sea turtles usually do not leave the ocean. Females come ashore to lay their eggs—usually on the exact same beaches where they were born.

 

 

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