Facts about Green Sea Turtle
- 07
In 2022, researchers identified that green sea turtles can detect Earth's magnetic field through specialized proteins in their eyes, allowing precise navigation across thousands of miles of open ocean.
- 06
Shells of green sea turtles can reach up to 1.5 meters in length and weigh as much as 500 kilograms when fully mature, with females typically larger than males.
- 05
The green sea turtle's diet shifts from omnivorous as a hatchling to primarily herbivorous as an adult, consuming seagrass and algae in shallow coastal waters.
- 04
Female green sea turtles return to the exact beach where they hatched, sometimes traveling over 1,400 miles to nest every two to four years.
- 03
Approximately 99 percent of green sea turtle hatchlings never survive to adulthood due to predation, disease, and ocean currents during their vulnerable early years.
- 02
Adult green sea turtles can hold their breath for up to seven hours while resting on the ocean floor, drastically reducing their metabolic rate.
- 01
Hatchling green sea turtles navigate 1,400 miles across the Atlantic Ocean using Earth's magnetic field to reach the Sargasso Sea within their first year.