The meat and eggs of the Green Turtle have always been a popular food. They are hunted and captured, and now their numbers are dropping all over the world.
Shell size: 80-100cm
(Source: Doubutsu Sekai-isan* Red Data Animals Kodansha) (*World Animal Heritage)
They live in many areas, from tropical to cooler waters.
Other sea turtles are meat-eaters, but Green Turtles like to eat seaweed. Young Green Turtles also eat crabs and jellyfish.
They dig holes in sandy beaches on the coasts to lay their eggs in. They swim a long way from the distant seas where they usually live.
They aren't really green?
They are called Green Turtles, but when you look at them they aren't really green. Green is the color of the fat inside their bodies. Green Turtles have always been popular as food. Maybe their name came from what they look like on the inside. The Green Turtles' numbers have dropped since they and their eggs were captured by people.
They can't lay eggs on a concrete coast...
The loss of sandy beaches is hurting the Green Turtles. They have to lay their eggs in the sand, not concrete. Actions to preserve the Green Turtles' numbers have helped in some areas, but not very often. Their disappearance is very real.
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