Overview
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| General Information The green sea turtle grows to a maximum size of about 4 feet and a weight of 440 pounds. It has a heart-shaped shell, small head, and single-clawed flippers. Color is variable. Hatchlings generally have a black carapace, white plastron, and white margins on the shell and limbs. The adult carapace is smooth, keelless, and light to dark brown with dark mottling; the plastron is whitish to light yellow. Adult heads are light brown with yellow markings. Identifying characteristics include four pairs of costal scutes, none of which borders the nuchal scute, and only one pair of prefrontal scales between the eyes. Listed population detail
The FWS is currently monitoring the following populations of the Green sea turtle
- Population location: Breeding colony populations in FL and on Pacific coast of Mexico
Listing status:
Endangered States/US Territories in which this population is known to occur:
Florida USFWS Refuges in which this population is known to occur:
ARCHIE CARR NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, CHASSAHOWITZKA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, HOBE SOUND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, KEY WEST NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, LOWER SUWANNEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, MERRITT ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, PASSAGE KEY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, PELICAN ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, PINELLAS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, ST. MARKS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, TEN THOUSAND ISLANDS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Countries in which this population is known to occur:
Mexico For more information, please see:
http://www.fws.gov/northflorida/Species-Accounts/SpeciesInfo.htm
- Population location: Wherever found except where listed as endangered
Listing status:
Threatened States/US Territories in which this population is known to occur:
Alabama, American Samoa, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington USFWS Refuges in which this population is known to occur:
ARANSAS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, BRETON NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, DELTA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, DESECHEO NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, GUAM NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, HAWAIIAN ISLANDS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, JOHNSTON ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, KINGMAN REEF NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, MIDWAY ATOLL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, PALMYRA ATOLL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, PEA ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, ROSE ATOLL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, SANDY POINT NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Countries in which this population is known to occur:
Palau For more information, please see:
http://www.fws.gov/northflorida/Species-Accounts/SpeciesInfo.htm
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| Federal Register Documents
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Most Recent Federal Register Documents |
Date |
Citation Page |
Title |
View All Federal Register Documents |
03/23/1999 |
64 FR 14051 14077 |
(NOAA/NMFS) Endangered and Threatened Species; Regulations Consolidation; Final Rule |
09/02/1998 |
63 FR 46693 46701 |
Designated Critical Habitat; Green and Hawksbill Sea Turtles |
12/04/1992 |
57 FR 57348 57358 |
(NOAA/NMFS) Threatened Fish and Wildlife; Threatened Marine Reptiles; Revisions to Enhance and Facilitate Compliance With Sea Turtle Conservation Requirements Applicable to Shrimp Trawlers; Restrictions Applicable to Shrimp Trawlers and Other Fisheries; 57 FR 57348 57358 |
04/30/1992 |
57 FR 18446 18461 |
Threatened Fish and Wildlife; Threatened Marine Reptiles; Revisions to Enhance and Facilitate Compliance with Sea Turtle Conservation Requirements Applicable to Shrimp Trawlers; Restrictions applicable to Shrimp Trawlers and Other Fisheries |
06/29/1987 |
52 FR 24244 24262 |
NOAA--Sea Turtle Conservation; Shrimp Trawling Requirements; 52 FR 24244- 24262 | |
Special Rule Publications |
03/23/1999 |
64 FR 14051 14077 |
(NOAA/NMFS) Endangered and Threatened Species; Regulations Consolidation; Final Rule |
12/04/1992 |
57 FR 57348 57358 |
(NOAA/NMFS) Threatened Fish and Wildlife; Threatened Marine Reptiles; Revisions to Enhance and Facilitate Compliance With Sea Turtle Conservation Requirements Applicable to Shrimp Trawlers; Restrictions Applicable to Shrimp Trawlers and Other Fisheries; 57 FR 57348 57358 |
04/30/1992 |
57 FR 18446 18461 |
Threatened Fish and Wildlife; Threatened Marine Reptiles; Revisions to Enhance and Facilitate Compliance with Sea Turtle Conservation Requirements Applicable to Shrimp Trawlers; Restrictions applicable to Shrimp Trawlers and Other Fisheries |
06/29/1987 |
52 FR 24244 24262 |
NOAA--Sea Turtle Conservation; Shrimp Trawling Requirements; 52 FR 24244- 24262 |
09/28/1983 |
48 FR 44237 |
Sea Turtles; Transshipment of Green Sea Turtle Products Through Miami; Comment Period Reopened; 48 FR 44237 |
05/04/1983 |
48 FR 20098 20100 |
FWS/NOAA--Amendment to Special Rules for Sea Turtles under ESA Allowing Transshipment of Certain Green Sea Turtle Products thru Port of Miami; 48 FR 20098-20100 |
05/01/1980 |
45 FR 29054 29055 |
Threatened Fish and Wildlife; Green, Loggerhead, and Olive Ridley Sea Turtles |
07/28/1978 |
43 FR 32800 32811 |
Listing and Protecting Loggerhead Sea Turtles as "Threatened Species" and Populations of Green and Olive Ridley Sea Turtles as Threatened Species or "Endangered Species" | |
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| | No Safe Harbor Agreements exist for the Green sea turtle. |
| No Candidate Conservation Agreements exist for the Green sea turtle. |
| No Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances exist for the Green sea turtle. |
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No petition findings have been published for the Green sea turtle. |
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Habitat Requirements Green turtles are generally found in fairly shallow waters (except when migrating) inside reefs, bays, and inlets. The turtles are attracted to lagoons and shoals with an abundance of marine grass and algae. Open beaches with a sloping platform and minimal disturbance are required for nesting. Green turtles apparently have a strong nesting site fidelity and often make long distance migrations between feeding grounds and nesting beaches. Hatchlings have been observed to seek refuge and food in Sargassum rafts. Food Habits Hatchling green turtles eat a variety of plants and animals, but adults feed almost exclusively on seagrasses and marine algae. Movement / Home Range The green turtle has a worldwide distribution in tropical and subtropical waters. Major green turtle nesting colonies in the Atlantic occur on Ascension Island, Aves Island, Costa Rica, and Surinam. Within the U.S., green turtles nest in small numbers in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, and in larger numbers in Florida. The Florida green turtle nesting aggregation is recognized as a regionally significant colony. About 200 to 1,100 females are estimated to nest on beaches in the continental U.S. In the U.S. Pacific, over 90 percent of nesting throughout the Hawaiian archipelago occurs at the French Frigate Shoals, where about 200 to 700 females nest each year. Elsewhere in the U.S. Pacific, nesting takes place at scattered locations in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, Guam, and American Samoa. In the western Pacific, the largest green turtle nesting aggregation in the world occurs on Raine Island, Australia, where thousands of females nest nightly in an average nesting season. In the Indian Ocean, major nesting beaches occur in Oman where 6,000 to 20,000 females are reported to nest annually. Reproductive Strategy The nesting season varies with the locality. In the Southeastern U.S., it is roughly June through September. Nesting occurs nocturnally at 2, 3, or 4-year intervals. Only occasionally do females produce clutches in successive years. A female may lay as a many as nine clutches within a nesting season (overall average is about 3.3 nests per season) at about 13-day intervals. Clutch size varies from 75 to 200 eggs, with an average clutch size of 136 eggs reported for Florida. Incubation ranges from about 45 to 75 days, depending on incubation temperatures. Hatchlings generally emerge at night. Age at sexual maturity is believed to be 20 to 50 years. Other The term "green" applies not to the external coloration, but to the color of the turtle's subdermal fat.
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Other Resources
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NatureServe Explorer Species Reports --
NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants,
animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides
in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too.
NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.
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ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative
taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.
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