The green sea turtle is the largest of all hard-shelled sea turtles and is found in the subtropical and temperate regions of all oceans. They are unique among sea turtles as they are the only herbivorous species, feeding primarily on seagrasses and algae. It is this diet that creates the green tint in their fat, after which they are named.
Green sea turtles breath air, but can hold their breath up to 7 hours if they are resting. They are long-lived, reaching ages of 70 or more, but they reproduce slowly, only starting when they are 25-35 years old and reproducing every two to five years. Each nest can hold up to 110 eggs and a female will lay a nest every two weeks during the breeding season, but it is estimated only 1 in 1,000 hatchlings will survive to adulthood.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the green sea turtle population as Endangered due to extensive population declines in all major oceans across the last three generations due to the overexploitation of eggs and females at nesting sites, juveniles and adults in foraging areas, and mortality caused by marine fisheries and the loss of marine and nesting habitats. Endangered populations are defined as being at a very high risk of extinction in the wild.