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Photo copyright Tim Nicholson. Tortuga Verde or Chelonia mydas Green Turtle Taken off Lady Elliot Island, Australia. Tweet The turtle is a graceful, curious, animal. When laying eggs, Turtles return to the beach on which they were born. How they navigate back to the beach remains uncertain. The mother digs a pit 60 to 90 cm deep in which to lay her eggs. Three months later the eggs hatch and the baby turtles seek the brightest horizon, which on moonlit nights will be the direction of the sea. Incubation temperature affects the sex of turtles. Higher temperatures favour female hatchlings whilst lower temperatures favour males. Turtles can travel over 1000 km in a single year. Because male turtles do not leave the sea (except to bask in the sun), most of the information we have about turtles is based on females. The Green Turtle is found in all tropical and sub-tropical seas. It grows up to 120 cm and can weigh up to 230 kg. It is largely vegetarian. |
Other Turtle Photos: More turtle photos are on our Google+ page
Further Reading
The Underwater Photographer: Digital and Traditional Techniques, by by Martin Edge, Paperback, 536 pages (2009)
Fire in the Turtle House
by Osha Gray Davidson
SCUBA News Issue 41
