Green Sea Turtle for Kids Ages 8-10

Green Sea Turtle

A green sea turtle named Chelonia shares her life story, beginning with her dangerous race to the sea after hatching around 1990. She describes her 'lost years' floating in the open ocean and how her diet of seagrass is what makes her a 'green' turtle. Around 2020, she uses the Earth's magnetic field to migrate thousands of miles back to her home beach. Chelonia also discusses the dangers she faces, like plastic pollution, and the hope she feels because of protective laws like the Endangered Species Act of 1973. She ends by explaining her important role as an 'ocean gardener' who keeps seagrass meadows healthy.

First Described 1758

Listed under U.S. Endangered Species Act 1978

The Story of Chelonia, the Green Sea Turtle

Hello! My name is Chelonia, and I’m a green sea turtle. My story begins on a warm, sandy beach around the year 1990. I hatched from my leathery egg under the moonlight with about a hundred of my brothers and sisters. It was a race! We had to scramble across the sand and avoid hungry crabs and birds to make it to the sparkling ocean waves. It was the most important and scariest journey of my life, but the pull of the water was too strong to ignore.

For the first few years of my life, I drifted far out in the open ocean. Scientists call these my 'lost years' because it's hard for them to track tiny turtles like me. I floated along currents, hiding in floating beds of seaweed and snacking on small jellyfish and other little creatures. As I grew bigger and stronger, my tastes changed. I swam closer to the coast and started eating seagrass and algae. You might wonder why I’m called a green sea turtle—it’s not because of my shell, but because all that green seagrass actually turns my fat a greenish color!

When I was about 30 years old, sometime around the year 2020, I felt a mysterious pull. It was an ancient instinct telling me to return home. I began a journey that would take me across thousands of miles of ocean, back to the very same beach where I was born. How did I find my way? We green sea turtles have a special secret: we can sense the Earth's magnetic field, like an invisible map that guides us. It’s a long and tiring swim, but the thought of laying my own eggs on my home beach kept me going.

The ocean is my home, but it has challenges. Sometimes, I see floating plastic bags that look dangerously like my old favorite snack, jellyfish. I also have to be careful around fishing boats. But I've seen good changes, too. Back on December 28th, 1973, a law called the Endangered Species Act was passed in the United States. In 1978, my species was listed under this act, which meant people started working hard to protect us and our nesting beaches. It makes me hopeful to know so many people care about keeping the oceans safe for me and my friends.

My life is a long series of journeys. We green sea turtles can live to be 80 years old or even more. My role in the ocean is very important. By munching on seagrass, I help keep the underwater meadows trimmed and healthy, which provides a home for many other fish and sea creatures. You could say I'm an ocean gardener! I am proud to help keep the ocean beautiful and balanced, and I hope to swim these warm waters for many, many years to come.