Green Sea Turtle

Hello there. I am a Green Sea Turtle, and my story begins under the warm sand. One night, I broke out of my shell and wiggled up to the surface with all my brothers and sisters. Hatchlings emerge at night and use natural light cues to navigate to the ocean, regardless of the moon's brightness. It was a thrilling but also a little scary. We all had to race across the beach as fast as our little flippers could carry us. We hurried past sand dunes and scurried toward the water. Finally, I felt the cool ocean splash over me. I had made it to my big, blue home. My very first swim was a big splash into a brand new world, and my life as an ocean explorer had just begun.

For the first part of my life, I floated and swam in the big, open ocean. It was like a giant playground with endless water to explore. When I was young and small, I ate little things I could find floating around, like squishy jellyfish and other tiny sea creatures. But as I grew bigger and older, I swam closer to the shore where the water was shallower. My taste in food changed, too. I started eating plants, especially seagrass and algae. I became an herbivore, which is an animal that only eats plants. Here’s a fun secret: I’m called a Green Sea Turtle not because my shell is green, but because all the seagrass and algae I eat turns my body fat green. It’s like they say, you are what you eat.

One of the most amazing things I can do is go on a very, very long trip. This journey is called a migration. I use my strong flippers to swim for thousands of miles through the ocean. I don’t need a map because something deep inside me knows exactly where to go. And where am I going? I swim all that way just to return to the general area of the beach where I was born. It is a special and important journey because it is on that beach that I lay my own eggs in the sand. By doing this, I help start the cycle of life all over again for a new group of little turtles.

My job in the ocean is very important. You could call me an ocean gardener. By munching on the tops of seagrass, I help keep the underwater meadows neat and healthy, kind of like mowing a lawn. Green sea turtle grazing can promote seagrass growth and health, but excessive grazing may lead to seagrass degradation, potentially harming the habitat for other marine life. For a while, my kind was in trouble, and there were not as many of us. But then, in 1978, people learned how important we were and passed laws to protect us. Legal protections have contributed to the recovery of green sea turtle populations, but they still face threats such as habitat loss, climate change, and bycatch, which can impact their role in maintaining seagrass ecosystems. Because of their help, I can continue my work as an ocean gardener, keeping the sea beautiful and healthy for everyone.