Green turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Green turtles are named after the green colour of the fat under its shell and are some of the largest marine turtles, with a primarily herbivorous diet. Green turtles can be easily distinguished from loggerhead turtles by the single pair of prefrontal scales (scales in front of its eyes), rather than two pairs as found on the Loggerhead.
In the Mediterranean, green turtles are mainly found across the warmer eastern region, namely the Levantine basin (Turkey, Syria, Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt), but are also known to have juvenile developmental grounds in marine habitats of Greece and Albania1.
Nesting is concentrated in Turkey, Syria, Cyprus and Israel. Based on “MSTG 2018 regional report”, between 1.160 and 2.670 green turtle nests are laid annually, depositing an average of 114 eggs per nest. This corresponds to approximately 784 females nesting per year.
1. *Hochscheid et al. (2018). Sea Turtles in the Mediterranean Region: MTSG Annual Regional Report.
