Nicholas Carlson Animal Biology

Green Sea Turtles

Recently I had the opportunity to visit the Living Planet Aquarium. For this assignment we were asked to pick an animal and write a report on it. The animal I chose is commonly known as a green sea turtle. The species name is chelonia mydas. This species has one pair of prefrontal scales that are in front of the eyes. They also have a saw-like jaw. They are part of the genus chelonia. They have a carapace, or shell, that is tear-shaped. The green sea turtle is the only species of this genus. The green sea turtle is part of the family chelonidae. They have flippers that are used for swimming and truly cannot support their weight on land. They are also unable to retract their head into their shell. Sea turtles are part of the order testudines. Testudines are noticed for their shells. This shell is not an exoskeleton, but is actually a ribcage. Testudines can then be placed in suborders according to how they retract their neck. They are in the class reptilia. Reptiles are characterized with their dry skin, scales, and ribs. The also have an amniotic egg meaning that the egg doesnt have to be in water. They also have a three-chambered heart. Sea turtles are in the phylum chordata. Some characteristics of the chordata are they have bilateral symmetry, a notochord, and a complete digestive system. They are in the subphylum vetebrata. They have a vertebral column or vertebrae that go from the head to the end. They also have a well-developed body cavity or coelom. All of this is how the green sea turtle is classified. Depending on the turtle, they can be found off the shores of Europe and North America to the coastal waters of Alaska and Chile. They are usually found in the tropics

Nicholas Carlson Animal Biology in shallow waters, except when migrating. They are also found in reefs, lagoons, and bays. During nesting periods they move to ocean shores to lay their eggs. These come in clutches of 100 to 200 eggs at a time. It is common for them to lay eggs on the same beach that their mother did. The turtle digs a pit in the sand and fills it with her eggs. Only 1 out of 1000 of the eggs will hatch and survive to adulthood. It is important for hatched sea turtles to get to the water. This journey is the most dangerous time for the young turtle. They are often prey to crabs, birds, raccoons, and even dogs at this time. They are typically on a diet of sea grass and algae. As hatchlings they also eat worms, aquatic insects, and young crustaceans. The adult is strictly an herbivore. Green sea turtles are also very ancient. They have ancestors who evolved on land and moved to the water about 150 million years ago. They are said to be one of the few species to have seen the dinosaurs evolve and become extinct. The green sea turtle has an important role in the ecosystem. One role they have is that they are one of the few animals that eat sea grass. They trim the sea grass so that it remains healthy. This is important because many marine species depend on sea grass beds for survival. Another reason they are important is because beaches have very little nutrients. The unhatched nests, trapped young, and eggshells all provide nutrients to the beach. These turtles play a big role to us directly. Turtles help to make marine ecosystems stronger. This allows for humans to have food and provides all sorts of activities. If they become extinct beach and marine ecosystems will weaken. This will have harmful and negative effects on us. What we need to do is help save green sea turtles. This will help us to preserve our future. Overall I enjoyed learning about the fascinating green sea turtle.