green sea turtles lay their eggs on beaches.
green sea turtles lay their eggs on beaches.
where do green sea turtles lay their eggs?
beaches
green sea turtles move across three habitat types, depending on their life stage. they lay eggs on beaches. mature turtles spend most of their time in shallow, coastal waters with lush seagrass beds. adults frequent inshore bays, lagoons and shoals with lush seagrass meadows. entire generations often migrate between one pair of feeding and nesting areas. green sea turtles, "chelonia mydas", are classified as an aquatic species and are distributed around the globe in warm tropical to subtropical waters. the environmental parameter that limits the distribution of the turtles is ocean temperatures below 7 to 10 degrees celsius. within their geographical range, the green sea turtles generally stay near continental and island coastlines. near the coastlines, the green sea turtles live within shallow bays and protected shores. in these protected shores and bays, the green sea turtle habitats include coral reefs, salt marshes, and nearshore seagrass beds. the coral reefs provide red, brown, and green algae for their diet and gives protection from predators and rough storms within the ocean. the salt marshes and seagrass beds contain seaweed and grass vegetation, allowing ample habitat for the sea turtles.
green sea turtle
the range of the green sea turtle extends throughout tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide. the two major subpopulations are the atlantic and the eastern pacific subpopulations. each population is genetically distinct, with its own set of nesting and feeding grounds within the population's known range. one of the genetic differences between the two subpopulations is the type of mitochondrial dna found in individual's cells. individuals from rookeries in the atlantic ocean and mediterranean sea have a similar type of mitochondrial dna, and individuals from the pacific and indian oceans have another type of mitochondrial dna. their native range includes tropical to subtropical waters along continental coasts and islands between 30°n and 30°s. since green sea turtles are a migrating species, their global distribution spans into the open ocean. the differences in mitochondrial dna more than likely stems from the populations being isolated from each other by the southern tips of both south america and africa with no warm waters for the green sea turtles to migrate through. the green sea turtle is estimated to inhabit coastal areas of more than 140 countries, with nesting sites in over 80 countries worldwide throughout the year. in the united states atlantic coast, green sea turtles can be found from texas and north to massachusetts. in the united states pacific coast, they have been found from southern california north to the southernmost tip of alaska. the largest populations of green sea turtles within the united states coastline are in the hawaiian islands and florida. globally, the largest populations of sea turtles are in the great barrier reef in australia and the caribbean islands.
green sea turtle