Endangered Species The Green Sea Turtle MaryKay Johnson

Sea Turtles are becoming endangered for these reasons: –Erosion of beaches lessens female nesting areas –Development of beachfront fortifications to protect property from erosion –Off-road vehicles cause sand compacting, decreasing hatchling success..

Also hurting our sea turtle population are:  Egg poaching or killing turtles for their meat, or turtle soup  Artificial light, installed for human recreation, causes disorientation, resulting in death or injury to turtles.  Raking of beaches  Invasion of beaches by non-native vegetation

Sea turtles choke on debris left in the water and on beaches, such as: plastic bags, Styrofoam pieces, balloons, or plastic pellets Sea turtles become entangled in traps and fishing nets, then drown.

People use green sea turtles for a variety of things: jewelry leather for boots and belts turtle soup, a delicacy eggs and turtle meat were eaten by island people

Male sea turtles live their entire lives in the water. Females swim long distances from feeding grounds to lay eggs in their birthplace, and only return every 2 to 3 years to nest.

Fun Facts Green sea turtles live to a mature age of years. They can be lbs at maturity, and can be 3- 4 feet long. They get their name from green-colored fat tissue in their bodies. Sea turtles can hold their breath for up to 5 hours under water.

Comprehension Questions – How large can adult green sea turtles get? – Name 4 things that are killing green sea turtles. – What products are gained by sea turtles being killed? – How old can a sea turtle get? – How long can sea turtles hold their breath under water?

Work Cited – eces.org/articles/ php – greennature.com/article148.html – – – – wg~100.jpg – – _turtle_page.jpg –

How will we save our sea turtles?