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Scientific Name: Chelonia mydas

Specie Description

It has an oval bony shell, with 4 non-overlapping side plates, in a brown colour, when juvenile, and greyish green in its subdermal fat, when adult. Males and females differ morphologically by the length of their tail and cloacal openings.

Size: About 125 cm in length and 230 kg in weight.

Lifespan: Approximately 75 years.

Sexual maturity: Begins at 20 years.

Nutrition: Juvenile turtles are omnivorous, feed on small marine invertebrates, some aquatic plants and algae, while adults are herbivores, they fees on algae.

Breeding: Place on average 100 eggs per nest that are incubated for about 60 days. Nest at intervals of 2-4 years, nesting 1 to 9 times per season.

Occurrence: Migratory species, found in tropical and subtropical seas.

Conservation Status (Angola): Endangered (EN).

Conservation Status (IUCN): Endargered (EN).