Green sea turtles: Turtles are one of the most primitive creatures on planet earth and have been here for about 200 million years.
They are diverse organisms ranging from infinitesimal sizes to prodigious sizes. Nonetheless, they all are illusorily beautiful and spirit-renewing to say the least. Their beauty is sure to leave you in awe.
Dorsoventrally flattened body of the green sea turtles is covered by teardrop-shaped carapace. It has a pair of paddle-like flippers. Their sizes range from 31 to 47 inches with a life span of 80-100 years. Crazy isn’t it? Well we have just begun.
It can reach speeds of up to 56 kilometers due to their streamlined shell and paddle like flippers which in turn increase their ability to swim faster and more importantly with poise. Diet of green sea turtles consists of seaweeds and algae since they are herbivores even though most of the other turtles are omnivores.
Sea turtles have held an indispensable place in Indian mythology and lores. According to the prestigious Hindu mythology, our world rests on the back of four elephants standing on the shell of a turtle. Therefore turtle meat is outlawed by the Hindus and the Islams.
Zoological name of the green sea turtle is ‘Chelonia Mydas,’ and it comes to the sea beach only to lay eggs. The female turtle’s lay about 100 to 150 eggs in the sea beaches and then go back into the water, whereas the male turtles stay in water throughout their life.
Coastal areas of Gujarat are one of the most important nesting grounds for the endangered green sea turtle, particularly, the Gulf of Kutch. It’s the important foraging and nesting sites for these sea creatures.
These turtles also play a crucial role within the ecosystem they live in by regulating sea currents for the reason being, without them grazing on sea grass beds, sea grass seems to overgrow resulting in obstructing sea currents.
It is heartbreaking to state that the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has persistently listed green sea turtles, under their officially classified list of endangered species. A team of researchers from the Wildlife Trust of India have found that in one of Gujarat’s Lake, a group of 20-30 turtles have been trapped for around a decade which is agonizing.
The endangered green sea turtle, which is found mainly in the coast of Gujarat, is facing major threat due to various factors and needs immediate conservation steps. Awareness programmes for local fishermen and coastal communities is key to protecting these turtles and avoid accidental deaths of turtles along shores.
More and more species are going extinct each day and we have no one to blame but ourselves. We need to learn how to share our exquisite earth as we humans are not even half as superior as we think we are.
Anatomy
Dorsoventrally flattened body of the green sea turtle is covered by teardrop-shaped carapace. It has a pair of paddle-like flippers. Their sizes range from 31 to 47 inches with a life span of 80-100 years. Crazy isn’t it? Well we have just begun.
Speed / Diet
It can reach speeds of up to 56 kilometers due to their streamlined shell and paddle like flippers which in turn increase their ability to swim faster and more importantly with poise. Their diet consists of seaweed and algae since they are herbivores even though most of the other turtles are omnivores.
Importance in Indian Mythology
Sea turtles have held an indispensable place in Indian mythology and lores. According to the prestigious Hindu mythology, our world rests on the back of four elephants standing on the shell of a turtle. Therefore turtle meat is outlawed by the Hindus and the Islams.
Reproduction
The green sea turtle’s zoological name is ‘Chelonia Mydas’. It comes to the sea beach only to lay eggs. The female turtle’s lay about 100 to 150 eggs in the sea beaches and then go back into the water whereas the male turtles stay in water throughout their life. Females usually nest during the warmest months of the year.
Importance of Gujarat
The coast of Gujarat has been one of the most important nesting grounds for the endangered green sea turtle which is believed to be usually found in the Gulf of Kutch thus Gujarat plays a crucial role when it comes to turtles as it’s the important foraging and nesting sites for these sea creatures.
Role of these turtles in the ecosystem
They also play a crucial role within the ecosystem they live in by regulating sea currents for the reason being, without them grazing on sea grass beds, sea grass seems to overgrow resulting in obstructing sea currents.
Habitat
Green sea turtles are found around the world in warm subtropical lands and tropical ocean waters, nesting occurs in over 80 countries. Some of their habitats lay in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. They lay eggs on beaches. Mature and male turtles spend most of their time in shallow waters.
Conservation measures
It is heartbreaking to state that the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has persistently listed green sea turtles, under their officially classified list of endangered species.
Furthermore a team of researchers from the Wildlife Trust of India have found that in one of Gujarat’s Lake, a group of 20-30 turtles have been trapped for around a decade which honestly is agonizing to even think about. The endangered green sea turtle, which is found mainly in the coast of Gujarat, is facing major threat due to various factors and needs immediate conservation steps.
Awareness programs for local fishermen and coastal communities is key to protecting these turtles and avoid accidental deaths of turtles along shores. Sometimes field biologists protect sea turtle nestlings from predators by placing screens over them.
They may also relocate eggs laid too close to the water or in erosion zones to safer areas More and more species are going extinct each day and we have no one to blame but ourselves. We need to learn how to share our exquisite earth as we humans are not even half as superior as we think we are.
Writer : Falguni Dave, Zoologist
