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Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758)
Green Turtle
Family: Cheloniidae
Green Turtle
Family: Cheloniidae
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© Dawn Kellie (Photo ID #5036)
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Distribution of Chelonia mydas in British Columbia in British Columbia
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The Green Turtle is a large, solitary, primarily marine species of turtle. It is the largest of the hard-shelled turtles, reaching lengths up to 1.5 m in length and weights up to 315 kg (average weight 200 kg) (Wikipedia 2011, Wild Whales 2011). Body colour varies from olive-brown to black outlined in white (Wikipedia 2011, Wild Whales 2011). The carapace is pointed at the rear and varies in colour (green, brown, grey, black and yellow), while the lower shell is yellow-white (Wild Whales 2011). The body of the Green Turtle is dorsoventrally-flattened, the head is beaked (unhooked beak), the neck and snout are short, and arms are paddle shaped (Wikipedia 2011).
Wikipedia provides the following detail: "The horny sheath of the turtle's upper jaw possesses a slightly-denticulated edge while its lower jaw has stronger, serrated, more defined denticulation. The dorsal surface of the turtle's head has a single pair of prefrontal scales. Its carapace is composed of five central scutes flanked by four pairs of lateral scutes. Underneath, the Green Turtle has four pairs of infra-marginal scutes covering the area between the turtle's plastron and its shell. Mature Green Turtle front appendages have only a single claw (as opposed to the hawksbill's two), although a second claw is sometimes prominent in young specimens. The carapace of the turtle is known to have various color patterns that change over time. Underneath, the turtle's plastron is hued yellow. Limbs are dark-colored and lined with yellow, and are usually marked with a large dark brown spot in the center of each appendage".
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Status Information click to expand contents
BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer--the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia. |
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Species References click to expand contents
Seminoff, J.A. 2004. Chelonia mydas. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.1. Available online. Wikipedia 2011. Green Sea Turtle. Available Online. WildWhales 2011. Green Sea Turtle. Available Online
IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group. 2011. Green Turtle. Available online |