Green Turtle

The green turtle is an endangered sea turtle that can live for more than 50 years, and it stands out for a diet that changes hugely with age, from meat eater when young to plant eater as an adult.

It is found over rock, sand and seagrass beds of shallow reefs rich in seagrass, and also out in deeper waters of the ocean. Part of its life is spent in the open ocean, but it is most often met in shallow lagoons and on coral reefs.

Young turtles start out as meat eaters and become omnivores as they grow, taking everything from fish, fish eggs, jellyfish, molluscs, worms and crustaceans to sponges, algae and sea grasses. By adulthood most are strictly plant eaters, working through green and red algae and sea grasses with a serrated jaw. They will also eat large amounts of wetland plants in salt marshes.

Few animals can tackle an adult. Apart from people, larger sharks are the only real threat, above all the tiger shark, which takes green turtles of every size and is often seen hunting near nesting beaches. Hatchlings and juveniles have many more enemies, including crabs, small marine mammals and shorebirds.

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