41) ~ Sri Lanka Green Turtle Nesting Female ~

More about 41) ~ Sri Lanka Green Turtle Nesting Female ~

***Sri Lanka Green Turtle (Nesting Female) - Chelonia mydas***
Family: Cheloniidae

Overview
The Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) is one of the largest sea turtles in the world and among the five species that nest on Sri Lanka’s beaches. The nesting females are especially important for conservation since they return to the very beach where they were born a behavior known as natal homing. Sadly, despite legal protection, the Green Turtle remains critically endangered due to human activity and habitat destruction.

Habitat & Range
Nesting sites in Sri Lanka:

Kosgoda, Rekawa, Bundala, Kahandamodara, Pottuvil, Panama, and Trincomalee.

Marine habitat: Warm tropical and subtropical coastal waters, coral reefs, and seagrass beds.

Global range: Found in all tropical and subtropical oceans around the world.

Behavior & Ecology
Activity: Primarily marine, but nesting females come ashore at night.

Diet:
Juveniles are omnivorous (jellyfish, small crustaceans).

Adults mainly eat seagrass and algae, which gives the fat under their shell a greenish tint the origin of their name “Green Turtle.”

Nesting behavior:
Females emerge from the sea, dig a pit in the sand using their flippers, and lay 80–120 eggs per nest.

After nesting, they return to the ocean, leaving the eggs to incubate naturally.

Hatchlings emerge after about 50-60 days, guided to the sea by the reflection of moonlight.

Physical Description
Adult size: 1-1.2 meters in shell length.

Weight: 150-200 kilograms.

Appearance:
Smooth, heart-shaped shell (carapace) ranging from olive brown to dark green.

Yellowish plastron (underside).
Small head and paddle-like flippers for strong swimming.
Lifespan: Up to 80 years in the wild.

Reproduction
Breeding cycle: Every 2-5 years.
Nesting season in Sri Lanka: Usually October to March (varies by location).

Eggs: Soft-shelled and ping-pong ball sized.
Temperature-dependent s%x determination:
Warmer sand = more females, cooler sand = more males.

Conservation Status
IUCN Red List: Endangered globally; Critically Endangered in Sri Lanka due to severe nesting decline.

Main threats:
Poaching of eggs and adults for meat and shells.
Coastal development destroying nesting beaches.
Artificial lighting disorienting hatchlings.
Pollution and plastic ingestion in feeding areas.
Fishing nets causing accidental entanglement (bycatch).

Conservation efforts:
Turtle hatcheries in Kosgoda, Rekawa, and Hikkaduwa.

Protected under Sri Lankan law (Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance).
Internationally protected under CITES Appendix I.

Interesting Facts
Green Turtles migrate thousands of kilometers between feeding and nesting grounds.

A nesting female can lay up to 600 eggs in a single season(over several nests).

Hatchlings face many dangers - only 1 in 1,000 survives to adulthood.
They play a key ecological role by maintaining healthy seagrass beds and marine ecosystems.

2025 November 12