Wednesday, June 18th
June's meeting will feature an open discussion on how to maintain your reptiles and amphibians at home as well as our care sheet program. You are welcome to bring your animals to this meeting.
Meetings start promptly at 8pm in the Alumni Room of Medaille College.
Green Sea Turtle
(Chelonia mydas)
Photo Courtesy of World Chelonia Trust
The green sea turtle is classified as a Threatened species in New York State and the United States. They are found widely throughout the tropical and semi-tropical oceans though populations have declined drastically. The green sea turtle is the only sea turtle with four large costal places on each side of its shell. They are olive-brown to almost black on the top and yellowish-white below. The green sea turtle gets its name from the green color of its body. The head has just one pair of prefrontal plates. The green sea turtle is the largest of the hard-shelled turtles and can reach four feet in length and weigh 500 pounds, though most specimens only reach three feet in length and weigh only 250 pounds.
It is unknown the age when the green sea turtle reaches sexual maturity though the shell is about 35 inches when they are sexually mature. While most experts estimate the life expectancy of the green sea turtle to be 20 or more years, it is still unknown for sure.
Green sea turtles do not breed every year, but in different cycles of two, three, or four years. Most green sea turtles breed every three years though. In most cases the feeding grounds are not close to the breeding grounds and require migtration. The females will deposit 80 to 200 eggs that hatch in 48 to 70 days. She can lay as many as seven clutches in 12 to 14 day intervals. Once the babies hatch they emerge from the nest and run towards to ocean. This is known as a "swimming frenzy."
Green sea turtles are found from Massachusetts to Florida and throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Carribean Sea. They prefer shallow waters with submerged vegetation. Inlets, bays, and estuaries are idea locations for green sea turtles. Nesting occurs in all the subtropical and tropical oceans in the world where the average water temperature is above 68° F during the winters.
Because of the comercial food value of the green sea turtle the population has declined greatly. In the 1940's demand began to decrease as concern for the species increased. In 1970 there were only 100,000 to 400,000 green turtles left in existance.
The green sea turtle does not nest in New York State they can still become stranded on or near the shore. A Standing Network was created in 1980 with the cooperation of the New York State Department of Conservation, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Riverhead Foundation. If a standing is sighthed please contact the hotline at (516) 369-9829. Calling the hotline will enable the Marine Biologists at Riverhead to handle the standed or dead turtles.
Because of the high rates of sea turtle mortality in trawl nets the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued regulations requiring shrimp trawlers to have Turtle Excluder Devices (TED) on all of their nets. The TED allows turtles and other large marine animals to escape in case they accidently enter the net.
Remember that in many places it is illegal to take wildlife out of the wild without the proper permits from local, state, or federal authorities. Please do not release any captive reptiles or amphibians into the wild as this will disrupt the natural order of our environment. See our amphibian and reptile adoptions page for more information on what to do with unwanted herps.
Help further herpetology research and education by donating to the Marvin R. Aures Herpetological Grant