Green Sea TurtleRG

Green Sea Turtles
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/green-turtle.html

• Green Sea Turtles fall under the category of reptiles
• Their average life span is over 80 years
• They can grow up to five feet long
• They weigh up to 700 pounds, which makes them the largest sea turtle in the world
• There ancestors evolved on land and took to sea about 150 million years ago
• They lived during the time of dinosaurs
• They are a large, weighty sea turtle with a wide, smooth shell
• They live in tropical and subtropical coastal waters around the world
• They are named for the color of their skin
• There are two types of green turtles: the Atlantic green turtle and the Eastern Pacific green turtle
• They have a nonretractable head, which means that they cannot pull it into their shell
• They are an endangered species that is killed for their meat and eggs
• A couple of examples of other ways that they are killed are by boat propeller accidents and fishnet-caused drownings
• They are herbivores, however the juveniles also eat some invertebrates
• They take long migrations to nesting grounds from feeding sites
• Their nesting grounds are usually on sandy beaches
• Every two to four years, they mate in shallow waters close to shore
• The females lay 100 to 200 eggs in a pit of sand
• The eggs hatch two months later
• The journey from the nest to the sea is a dangerous point in the juvenile stage of life

http://www.planetozkids.com/oban/animals/facts_turtle.htm

• Green Sea Turtles have a backbone
• Their shell is protection for them
• The top half of their shell is called the carapace
• The carapace is smooth, grey, green, brown, and black
• The under shell is called the plastron
• The plastron is yellowish white
• The only time that females leave the sea is to give birth

Question: How long is the average life span for a Green Sea Turtle?