In Hawaii, green turtles are called "honu"
As I glided my way over top the finger of a fringe reef off the coast of Oahu, I came across half a dozen green turtles. I knew that there are many green sea turtles in the water of Hawaii, but I was not expecting to see so many in one place. I had just witnessed one taking a nap at the bottom of the reef on the other side of this finger, and I would have been delighted with just having seen the one the entire dive. The one pictured here was gliding its way across the water column, presumably looking for its next meal. Below you can see a photo of a sea turtle that decided it was time to take a breath, and rocketed to the surface from the sea floor.
The scientific name for green turtles is Chelonia mydas. They belong to the Cheloniinae family of marine turtles. In Hawaiian, this turtle is called “honu”. It has other common names, including: black turtle, green sea turtle, black sea turtle, and Pacific green turtle. The green turtle has a flat body with a beaked head and paddle-like arms that are great for swimming. They max out at approximately five feet long. The average adult weighs anywhere from 150 to 419 pounds. The green sea turtle can live to be up to 90 years old in the wild.
Turtle shells are a unique defense mechanism that help to reduce the number of predators they have. The shell found on the turtle back is called a “carapace”. Typically, you will find 38 scutes on the carapace of a green turtle. A scute is a thickened horny or bony plate on the surface of an animal. The shell on the bottom of the turtle is called the “plastron”. Green turtles have four pairs of inframarginal scutes that protect the space between the plastron and carapace. The carapace of green turtles varies in color from dark brown to olive.
The green turtle can lay up to 200 eggs at one time
Did you know?
- Green turtles only have a single claw on their front appendages. Hawksbill turtles have two.
- There are two major subpopulations of green turtles: Atlantic and eastern Pacific.
- Green turtles, like all sea turtles, return to the beaches on which they were born to lay their eggs.
- They lay eggs in clutches of 85 to 200 eggs at a time. The females will lay eggs three to five times per season.
- Green turtles can hold their breath for several hours when sleeping or resting.
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