Green Sea TurtlePhotos, Pictures, Prints

View green sea turtle photos, license green sea turtle stock pictures, and buy stunning green sea turtle prints by award winning professional photographer Jon Cornforth. To license an image for editorial or commercial use, click on the License Image button and fill out the form. To purchase a fine art print, select your image size and presentation style before clicking on the Buy Print button.

Chelonia mydas

Chelonia mydas, the green sea turtle, is a large sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. This animal lives in tropical and subtropical seas. That said, it boasts two distinct populations: one in the Atlantic, and the other in the Pacific Ocean.

These turtles are green because of a fat layer underneath their shell.

In the Pacific, the green turtle ranges from the southern coast of Alaska to as far south as Chile. The turtle’s distribution in the Western Pacific, however, ranges from southern parts of Russia to as far south as the northern tip of New Zealand. Meanwhile, they nest in Mexico, Hawaii, the South Pacific, the northern coast of Australia and Southeast Asia.

Unlike most sea turtles, who spend most of their adult lives in the ocean, green sea turtles crawl onto beaches to bask in the sun. Swimmers in Hawaii and Mexico often encounter green sea turtles at popular snorkeling locations. At these busy areas, turtles seem unconcerned with humans. For this reason, it’s easy and satisfying to snap a shot of a green sea turtle at rest.

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