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Green Turtle | Ocean Park Hong Kong

Reptiles

Green Turtle

Scientific Name

Chelonia mydas

Other Common Name(s)

Black Turtle

Body Weight

Up to 200 kg

Body Length

80-150 cm

Silhouette of a sea turtle swimming above a diver.

A sea turtle swims underwater with its flippers spread.

Habitat

Ocean

Diet

Juveniles mainly feed on jellyfish, small fish, and shrimp, while adults primarily feed on seaweed

Fun Facts

Female green turtles lay their eggs on the beaches where they were hatched. In other words, they hatch from the same places their mothers and grandmothers were born. To return to the breeding site from foraging areas, females can travel up to about 4,800 km across the ocean.
The sex of green turtle hatchlings depends on the temperature in the nest. The eggs can be incubated between 25°C to 33°C. Within this range, cooler temperatures produce more males while warmer temperatures favour females. Intermediate conditions give a more balanced sex ratio.

Sea turtle swimming towards the viewer with flippers spread in blue water.

Sea turtle swimming underwater above a sandy bottom

Distribution

Tropical and some subtropical waters worldwide. Native to Hong Kong.

Threats & Conservation

Threats

Urbanisation & Infrastructure
Overexploitation of Biological Resources
Invasive Species & Diseases
Pollution
Climate Change

Green turtles had been endangered in the past decades. By 2025, global conservation efforts finally lifted them from extinction risk. However, this species still faces various human threats, such as being hunted for food, bycatch in fishing gear, habitat pollution from plastic and coastal development, and light pollution disrupting breeding. Climate change alters the migration and incubation of sea turtles, and rising temperatures have begun to skew sex ratios.

Conservation

IUCN Red List

Least Concern

Red List of China's Biodiversity

Critically Endangered

CITES

Appendix I

Conservation Regulations

Chinese Wildlife Conservation Law: Category 1
Protected under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170) and the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586) in Hong Kong. Sham Wan on Lamma Island is designated as a restricted area from April to October each year to protect the nesting sites of green turtles.

Ocean Park's Conservation Efforts

The Park collaborates with the government to rescue, rehabilitate, and release sea turtles from the wild, including green turtles.

Animal Rescue & Recovery in Ocean Park

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Two people on a boat release a sea turtle into the ocean.

Enrichment for Green Turtles

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Green sea turtle partially submerged, resting on grey pipes, with a yellow grid background.

Support Mission R to protect animals & plants!

Saving Species & Habitats

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Eat Local

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Plastic Challenge

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Plastic bottles and styrofoam containers float in polluted water.

Come and see our animals and plants

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Mammals

Green Turtle

Threats & Conservation

Threats & Conservation

Threats

Conservation

Ocean Park's Conservation Efforts

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