Fully grown green turtles eat only plant matter. Their favourite food by far is sea grass, sometimes called eel grass, and the algae that thrives in warm, shallow seas. They also feed on mangrove leaves overhanging the water in the Galapagos Islands and probably in other places. Turtles have very sharp horny jaws that act like shears to cut through tough, fibrous vegetation. They do not have teeth.
Baby green turtles (hatchlings) have a more varied diet, and eat small fish, crustaceans and jellyfish as well as algae. During their first few months, the young are poor swimmers, so they tend to float around the oceans on beds of sargassum weed. These floating rafts are teeming with tiny crabs and shrimps which provide the baby turtles with a ready supply of food.
As they grow, the turtles turn increasingly to a vegetarian way of life. They use their excellent underwater eyesight to locate possible supplies of food.
Explore Related Resources
_(1).original.avif)
Our Supporters
