Green Sea Turtle

Today's topic is the Green Sea Turtle which happen to be on the endangered species list. These ancient creatures have been around for 110 million years and, there are only seven types of sea turtles today. The Green Sea Turtle eats jellyfish, seaweed, crabs, shrimp, sponges, snails, algae, and mollusks. The Green Sea Turtle is hardly seen on land because male sea turtles, once they hatch and reach the ocean never return to land. They are also found in warm to temperate waters and, they migrate hundreds of miles between nesting and feeding grounds. Yet, these creatures are endangered for a number of reasons. First, there is over harvesting and illegal trade. People harvest Green Turtle eggs worldwide which, can cause drops in population, over ten thousand Green Turtle eggs are harvested every year and they are harvested in parts of Asia, Western Pacific, and the Eastern coast of Mexico. Also in West Africa sea turtles are killed for their use in medicine and traditional ceremonies. Next, sea turtles get caught in fishing nets and, since sea turtles need to go to the surface every few hours being caught in a net causes them to drown. Finally the Green Sea Turtle's habitat is slowly disappearing which is putting this species at risk. 

-Until next time
           KP Green