Green turtles Chelonia mydas (Torti-d-Mer in Creole) are named after the greenish colour of their cartilage and the fat deposits around their internal organs, but are actually olive or greenish yellow in colour. The carapace is oval when viewed from above, and the head is relatively small and blunt. Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Green turtles breed on beaches mainly on Aldabra and remote southern islands, although they can also be found breeding on the granitic archipelago. Adult females come up to the beaches at night to lay their eggs. Nests are about 80cm deep and are dug in the sand at the beach crest and over 100 eggs laid.
Hatching occurs two months later, usually at night. Hatchlings are vulnerable to a host of predators including ghost crabs. They are also easily confused by beach lighting, which can cause them to head inland rather than out to sea. Young turtles are probably omnivorous but adults are herbivores, feeding entirely on seagrass and algae.
Although green turtles have a wide distribution in the warm seas of the world they are considered as globally endangered because they have been heavily exploited for their meat and eggs. Indeed, the green turtle is exploited during all its life-stages. Unfortunately, harvest remains legal in several countries despite substantial subpopulation declines. Many countries however have enacted laws to protect them and in Seychelles taking, selling or buying turtles is illegal under the Wild Animals and Birds Protection Act. Offences under this law carry a maximum fine of SR500,000.00 or a maximum term of two years imprisonment.