Best of Mike #165

I'm thinking Green Sea Turtle.... but to tell you the truth, I struggle a little with my turtle identification.

So, if any of my many scuba diving friends see that identification as wrong.... please let me know.

There is a lot of similarity between the Green Sea Turtle and the Hawksbill Turtle. 

I  look to the beak for the definitive identification. 

In this case, I don't see the longer and hooked beak that is characteristic of the Hawksbill.

The common name, for the Green Sea Turtle, does not come from any particular external coloration.... but instead refers to the greenish color of the turtles fat, which is found in a layer between their internal organs and their shell.

Like other sea turtles they migrate great distances between feeding grounds and hatching beaches. Many islands, worldwide, are know as Turtle Island due to the green sea turtles that nest on their beaches.

Females crawl out on the beaches, dig nests and lay eggs during the night. After incubation, hatchlings will emerge and walk into the water.... often running a gauntlet of predators.

Green Turtles that reach maturity, in the wild.... may live to be 80 yrs old.