Green Turtles

Green Turtles

The Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas) is one of five marine turtle species living in the Maldives, although only four of the species actually nests.  The Green and Hawksbill Turtles are the most common of the Maldives Turtle species. 

Despite their name, Green Turtles are actually a light color all over, with the shell ranging in color from olive green to black, depending on where the turtle lives.  Green turtles are migratory animals, traveling thousands of miles each year to nest.  In fact, they only nest on the very beach they were born, so in order to lay eggs, they must return to that same beach.

Green turtles are on the endangered species list and therefore protected in most countries around the world.  It is illegal to catch the turtles or to take their eggs.  Still, the turtle remains extremely threatened because of human practices around the world that include killing the turtles for their meat of their shells and stealing their eggs, also for food.  In the Maldives, Green Turtles have been protected since 1995 and the government has run several campaigns to increase awareness of the importance of marine turtles in the ecosystem.  Turtles are one of the favorite animals for scuba divers to encounter underwater, as you can swim alongside them for some time and they are very peaceful creatures.