Green Sea Turtle Research Paper

Words: 770
Pages: 4

Chelonia mydas is one of three native reptiles that have been seen on the shores and in the ocean around the Hawaiian Islands. Also known as the green sea turtle, or Honu in Hawaiian culture, this majestic creature is the largest hard-shelled sea turtle known today (Partymiller, Lindsay). The adult green sea turtle weighs from around 300 to 450 pounds but can weigh up to 500 pounds (Green Sea Turtles)(Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas)). While they are named after their green bodies, their shell or carapace is a light to dark olive brown (Partymiller, Lindsay). Distinguishing the sex of a green sea turtle is not an easy task. The two look very similar except for the fact that when mature, the male has a larger tail, larger cloacal opening, longer claws, and a shorter carapace (Hersh, Kendalyn). Green sea turtles have a wide …show more content…
This is a long life considering how many offspring they can produce throughout their lives. Although it takes longer than twenty-seven years to reach full maturity, the Honu still breed every two to four years. Each mating season a mature female can fill up to nine nests with around 100-200 eggs in each nest; of course only a minute percentage will reach maturity (Hersh, Kendalyn). After the eggs hatch and the great scramble for life is through, the survivors head out to the open ocean and prepare for their return to coastal waters till they reach maturity. Once the age of maturity is reached, the Honu make an outstanding 800-mile journey up to the Northwestern French Frigate Shoals of the Hawaiian archipelago to mate (E Mälama i Na Honu). The cycle begins again once the mother Honu breaches upon the shore for a few hours and constructs a nest for her young. Also very interesting, the gender of the offspring is determined by the temperature within the nests. Colder temperatures produce more males while warmer temperatures tend to produce more females (Partymiller,