Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)

The green turtle is one of four sea turtles that are found in the waters around Saint Martin, the others being the hawksbill, loggerhead and leatherback. However, due to their shallow water feeding habits, only the green and hawksbill turtles are commonly seen. The green turtle can be distinguished from the hawksbill by the lack of a pronounced beak, the lack of serration on the back end of the shell and, unfortunately, often the presence of tumor-like growths that are the result of an infection that does not seem to happen to the hawksbill. (In order to more clearly illustrate this species, one photo from Roatan, Honduras was included in the gallery below.)

Photos