<p>Elegantly marked and very effectively streamlined, the green turtle is the most common turtle in subtropical and tropical waters, where it is often seen in eelgrass beds and on coral reefs. Its color varies from green to dark brown, but its scales and shell plates (scutes) are lighter where they meet, giving it a distinctive, checkered pattern.
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Like all marine turtles, it has front flippers that are long and broad and beat up and down like wings. They provide the power for swimming, while the much shorter rear flippers act as stabilizers. Young green turtles are carnivorous, eating mollusks and other small animals, but the adults feed mainly on eelgrass and algae—a diet that keeps them close to the coast.
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/88123769@N02">Bernard Spragg. NZ</a> from Christchurch, New Zealand
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/volvob12b/11180225963/">Baby Green Sea Turtle.</a>