Sea Turtle
I have seen sea turtles before swimming in the ocean around Maui, but on this trip we saw several cases when turtles beached themselves after a storm, presumably to rest. In one case, I counted 20 turtles resting on the beach near Ho‘okipa .
The turtle shown here pulled up on the beach in front of we were staying, seemed to be snoozing, and was gone by the next morning. I caught a moment when it briefly opened it's eyes.
From what I gather, this is a Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas). The diameter of this one’s shell was under a meter.
From the Sea Turtle Fact Sheet:
“Carapace length: 3.5 feet (1.07 meters) average weight is 300 lbs (136 kg) ... Green sea turtles take 20-50 years to reach reproductive maturity ... The most friendly sea turtle may be the “honu,” the green sea turtles that live in Hawaii. These turtles are so comfortable with humans that they swim with people on diving trips among the coral reefs. ... Food: Adult green sea turtles are herbivores, and their food includes sea grasses and algae. Young green sea turtles, however, are omnivores. Their diet includes jellyfish, small mollusks and sponges.”
Always a pleasure to see.
Sea Turtle
I have seen sea turtles before swimming in the ocean around Maui, but on this trip we saw several cases when turtles beached themselves after a storm, presumably to rest. In one case, I counted 20 turtles resting on the beach near Ho‘okipa .
The turtle shown here pulled up on the beach in front of we were staying, seemed to be snoozing, and was gone by the next morning. I caught a moment when it briefly opened it's eyes.
From what I gather, this is a Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas). The diameter of this one’s shell was under a meter.
From the Sea Turtle Fact Sheet:
“Carapace length: 3.5 feet (1.07 meters) average weight is 300 lbs (136 kg) ... Green sea turtles take 20-50 years to reach reproductive maturity ... The most friendly sea turtle may be the “honu,” the green sea turtles that live in Hawaii. These turtles are so comfortable with humans that they swim with people on diving trips among the coral reefs. ... Food: Adult green sea turtles are herbivores, and their food includes sea grasses and algae. Young green sea turtles, however, are omnivores. Their diet includes jellyfish, small mollusks and sponges.”
Always a pleasure to see.