|
HONU - THE PACIFIC GREEN SEA TURTLE
Why is the turtle we see swimming near our Hawaiian Islands called
the green sea turtle? We notice that its back is brown and its
legs and head are brown, too. Many animals are named because of
interesting habits or features of their bodies. The green sea
turtle gets its name from the green color of the fat in its body.
The Pacific green sea turtle (called honu in Hawaiian) is a
|
| reptile, an air-breathing, cold-blooded ani-mal. Adults
are two to four feet long and weigh from 100 to 400 pounds. The
green sea turtle's hard shell is actually its skeleton. The top
part of the shell is called the carapace and the underside of the
turtle shell is the plastron. The green sea tur-tle cannot pull
its head and legs inside its shell for protection, as some land
turtles do. This turtle's webbed feet make it a fast swimmer (up
to 25 mph) |
 |
| and it is able to go long distances without resting.
The honu has no teeth, but its uneven, jagged jaw works well for
chewing. Pacific green sea turtles have lungs to breathe air. When
sea turtles are feeding they stay under the water for five to ten
minutes, and then come to the surface to breathe. When they are
asleep or resting they can stay under water up to two-and-a- half
hours. Adult turtles often sleep between rocks or in caves under
water. Young turtles usually sleep while floating on top of the
water. |
MIGRATION & NESTING
Pacific green sea turtles spend almost all their lives in water.
Females come out to lay their eggs on beaches. Most honu nesting
in Hawaii takes place at French Frigate Shoals (extreme left on
the map above), about 500 miles northwest of Honolulu. These tiny
islands are part of the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge
and the nesting areas are protected from man. Occasionally nests
are found on the main Hawaiian Islands. Turtles migrate |
 |
| from the feeding areas in the main Hawaiian Islands
to the nesting areas at French Frigate Shoals from May to August.
At night the females dig pits on the sandy beach with their back
flippers. They lay about 100 eggs, cover the pit with sand and return
to the ocean. |
TURTLE EGGS & HATCHLINGS
The turtle eggs, which look like leathery ping-pong balls, hatch
after about two months. All the baby turtles, called hatchlings,
work together to scrape the sand away to get up near the surface.
When the sand is cool enough, usually at night, the turtles burst
out and hurry to the ocean. |
| Many honu hatchlings are eaten by crabs, sharks and
other large fish in the shallow offshore waters. When they are about
six months old they are mostly herbivorous, eating algae and seaweed.
When they reach the main Hawaiian Islands they are about two to
four years old and their carapaces (top shells) are about 14 inches
long. |
 |
|
PROTECTING PACIFIC GREEN SEA TURTLES
The Pacific green sea turtles are in great danger. They are preyed
upon (eaten) by tiger sharks. Resort and residential development
at nesting sites on the main Hawaiian Islands has reduced their
popula-tion. They have become much more rare due to increased
use as food, leather, ornaments, and in cos-metics. The use of
SCUBA diving gear made turtles easier to catch and turtle steaks
were very popular in Hawaii's restaurants during the 1960s. The
Endangered Species Act of 1978 helps protect the Pacific green
sea turtles and other sea tur-tles. It is
|
| illegal to kill sea turtles or to sell any sea turtle
products. It is also against the law to bother sea turtles in the
water or on their nesting beaches. Large fines msut be paid by people
who harm sea turtles. With cooperation of the people of Hawaii,
and the efforts of scientists and conservation workers, the Pacific
green sea turtles are becoming more numerous.. |
 |
|
