Poles & OceansLeast concern
Green sea turtle
Chelonia mydas
A big sea turtle that grazes on seagrass. It's named after the green fat under its shell.
- Weight
- Up to 300 kg
- Size
- Shell up to 1.5 m
- Lifespan
- 80 years or more
- Top speed
- Up to 35 km/h swimming
- Diet
- Seagrass and algae
How heavy is that?
As heavy as 8 kids (40 kg each)
Where it lives
Three things to know
- Some swim about 2,000 km from Brazil to Ascension Island to lay their eggs.
- Warmer sand makes more female babies.
- In 2025 it moved from Endangered to Least concern, thanks to protected beaches.
Compare with…
- Weight
- Green sea turtle300 kgA 10-year-old kid40 kgThe green sea turtle weighs about 8× as much as the kid
- Size
- Green sea turtle1.5 mA 10-year-old kid1.4 mAbout the same
- Top speed
- Green sea turtle35 km/hA 10-year-old kid20 km/hThe green sea turtle is about 1.8× as fast as the kid
- Lifespan
- Green sea turtle80 yrsA 10-year-old kid80 yrsAbout the same
Food chain
- SeagrassProducer
Green sea turtleThis animal- Tiger shark