Green turtle

Green turtles can weigh up to 700 lbs and up to 5 ft long. Unlike most sea turtles, adult green turtles are herbivorous, feeding mainly on seagrasses and algae. Green turtles are listed as Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and on Appendix I in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). On the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, there is a legal harvest for green turtles for those with traditional subsistence rights. More than 170,000 green turtles were estimated to have been killed between 1991 and 2011 (Lagueux et al. 2014). Green turtles do not nest on the Caribbean side of Nicaragua but a large population uses the coastal waters for foraging, resting and migrating.

WCS Honduras-Nicaragua
wcsnicaragua@wcs.org

Copyright 2007-2021 by Wildlife Conservation Society

WCS, the "W" logo, WE STAND FOR WILDLIFE, I STAND FOR WILDLIFE, and STAND FOR WILDLIFE are service marks of Wildlife Conservation Society.

Contact Information
Address: 2300 Southern Boulevard Bronx, New York 10460 | (718) 220-5100