• Green sea turtles are found throughout the world’s oceans, with major populations in the United States found off Florida’s east and west coasts, in the Caribbean, and off the Pacific coast of Mexico. The Hawaiian population of green turtles appears to be genetically isolated from other populations in the Pacific, as they remain within Hawaiian waters throughout their lives.
• In Hawaii, the green sea turtle is called Honu (pronounced hoe-new).
• When the green sea turtle hatches it weighs about one ounce, with a shell length of 2 inches. Pre-adults average about 200-350 pounds, with and are at least 2 1/2 feet long. Adults can grow to 4 feet and weigh up to 400 pounds.
• The green sea turtle can live up to 80 years of age. Unfortunately, we humans have hunted them for so long, the population of green sea turtles has never been allowed to recover fully enough for us to track their natural life span. |