Profile
Scientific name:	Chelonia Mydas
Common name:	Green Sea Turtles, Sea Turtles, Rock Turtles

Features:	Green sea turtles derive their name from the color of their body fat, which is green. They have four scutes on each side of their carapace, which is brownish-black in color and covered with mottled patterns; a single pair of prefrontal shields on their head; and claws on their front flippers. Their carapace can grow up to 153cm in length. Green sea turtles have scales on their head that prevent the turtle from retracting their head into their shell. Their plastrons are yellow. Hatchlings need roughly 10-20 years to reach adulthood, and when fully grown, are approximately 120-150cm long and can weigh up to 120kg.
Behavior:	Green sea turtles are great swimmers. They always feed in specific areas and lay their eggs in other areas. Their diet consists primarily of seaweed, though they are also known to eat mollusks, arthropods, and fish. They often search for food in shallow inshore areas where there is an abundance of seaweed. Hatchlings prefer meat and do not turn omnivorous until they grow up. Green sea turtles are unique in that they are the only sea turtle whose primary diet consists of seaweed and the only sea turtle that spends time on shore to bask in the sun. Females only reproduce once every two to three years, but when they do breed, they will each have three to seven nests, with each nest containing 100-150 eggs. Females can take anywhere from 15 to 50 years to reach sexual maturity, and they only lay their eggs on beaches where the temperature of the sand is higher than 25 degrees Celsius.
Habitat:	Green sea turtles lay their eggs primarily on beaches where the temperature of the sand is higher than 25 degrees Celsius, which is usually on coastal areas or islands located in equatorial or subtropical waters. Green sea turtles are the most common sea turtle found in the waters surrounding Taiwan and enjoy special protection in the Wang An Island Green Sea Turtle Reserve set up on Penghu.