Bermuda has a 400-year history of protecting wildlife — including sea turtles.
- Of the seven sea turtle species recognised in the world today, Bermuda plays host to five of them
- Our island may even serve as a training ground for the young marine reptiles, since most sea turtles found in our waters are juveniles
- Our luxuriant carpets of seagrass, clean water, and rich and healthy reefs offer young green and hawksbill turtles an ideal habitat in which they can thrive
Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Green turtles are the most plentiful of our sea turtle species; in fact, Bermuda harbours one of the healthiest and most abundant populations of juvenile green turtles in the world. Many scientists consider our island an ideal site to study the young turtles in their natural environment.
- Mature green turtles, rarely seen here, weigh 135KG / 298LBS on average
- Their shells are olive-brown and are often streaked by darker brown colours
- When young, they feed on a wide range of vegetable and animal matter. As they mature, though, green turtles gradually become strict vegetarians, with a diet of seagrass and algae
- Green turtles earned their name from the colour of their body fat, which turns green when cooked into turtle soup. Unfortunately, prolonged and imprudent hunting has put green turtles on the endangered species list
Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Hunted and exploited in other parts of the world for its ornate shell, meat and eggs, this turtle is critically endangered. The turtle’s birdlike beak, which gave the hawksbill its name, allows the creature to partake in a diet of sea sponges.
- One of the smallest sea turtles, a fully mature hawksbill turtle weighs about 90.7KG / 200LBS. In our waters, the hawksbill averages 3.2KG / 7LBS
- The hawksbill is common in our coral reefs and is regularly spotted by lobster divers or by Turtle Project field study trips
