Padre Island National Seashore             

The Green Sea Turtle

The green turtle (Chelonia mydas) is not actually green in color, but mottled brown. The name is derived from the greenish fat of the body. The carapace (the upper portion of the shell) is light or dark brown. It is sometimes shaded with olive, often with radiating mottled or wavy dark markings or large dark brown blotches. The green turtle is considered medium to large in size for sea turtles with an average length of 36-48 inches (90-122 cm). The record was set at 60 3/8 inches (153 cm). Its weight ranges from 250-450 lbs. (113-204 kg) with the record at more than 650 lbs. (295 kg). The upper surfaces of young green turtles are dark brown, while the undersides are white. The ends of the flippers are black, but are edged with white. There is a keel running down the center of the back and a pair of keels down the plastron (lower portion of the shell). Hatchlings are 1 5/8 to 2 3/8 inches in length and are black above, but become much paler by six months. The green turtle is primarily a tropical herbivorous species and feeds on sea grasses and algae.

Under the Endangered Species Act the green sea turtle is considered "endangered" for the breeding populations in Florida and the east Pacific and "threatened" everywhere else.

The main reason for the decline of the green turtle is its culinary appeal. Recipes for green turtle have been very popular in the past, with two of the most famous being "calipash" and "calipee", which are soups made from the upper and lower shells. Green turtle recipes were also popular overseas with England and Cuba being major importers. The green turtle was first introduced into England as a luxury food in the 18th century. They were in such demand by 1879 that approximately 15,000 were being shipped there annually. Green turtles became an important food source for the British Royal Navy and were taken on as living provisions at specially scheduled stops. During this time, the green turtle was known as the Texas turtle, because of the fishery that existed for it in the Corpus Christi area and other areas of Texas until the 1890’s. The demise of the fishery is thought to be due to over-exploitation and freezing temperatures. In the Gulf of Mexico, green turtle fisheries also existed at Cedar Key in western Florida, the Florida Keys, and in the Dry Tortugas. By the 1950’s, the Florida harvest had also dwindled due to over-fishing. Most of the trade came from catches made in the West Indies and on the eastern coasts of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The trade resulted in the taking of about 750 turtles per year, with most of these being females caught when they came ashore to nest. As the immature eggs were considered a delicacy, the value of a nesting female was greatly enhanced.

The major nesting areas for green turtles in the Atlantic are in Surinam, Guyana, French Guyana, Costa Rica, the Leeward Islands, and Ascension Island in the mid-Atlantic. Historically in the U.S., green turtles have been known to nest in the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas. Today they nest primarily on selected beaches along the coast of eastern Florida. In the past, few green turtle nests were documented on Padre Island. For many years, the only recorded instance of a green turtle nesting here was in 1987. However, they probably nested here before their decline. They also could have nested sporadically on the island and the nests went undetected. In 1998, the largest number of documented green turtle nests in the park was recorded. Five green turtle nests were located and 436 hatchlings were released into the Gulf of Mexico.