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🐢 Green Sea Turtle Facts for Kids

🦎 Reptiles Grades K–5

The green sea turtle is a plant-eating reptile that lives in the ocean. They are named for the greenish color of their fat, which comes from eating plants.

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🐢 Green Sea Turtle fact file

Scientific name
Chelonia mydas
Animal group
Reptile
Where it lives
The ocean
Habitat
Warm oceans worldwide; nests on beaches including Florida and Hawaii
Diet
Herbivore (plant-eater) — Adults eat seagrass and algae
Size
Shell about 3 to 4 feet long
Weight
About 240–420 lb
Life span
70 years or more
Status
Least Concern (moved from Endangered in 2025 thanks to protection)

📏 A green sea turtle weighs about as much as two grown-ups.

⭐ 5 fun facts about green sea turtles

  1. They are named for the greenish color of their fat, which comes from eating plants.
  2. Females return to the beach where they hatched to lay their own eggs.
  3. The temperature of the sand decides whether baby turtles are boys or girls — warmer sand makes more girls.
  4. Sea turtles can’t pull their heads into their shells.
  5. They can rest underwater for hours without breathing.

Where do green sea turtles live?

Wild green sea turtles are found in the ocean. Warm oceans worldwide; nests on beaches including Florida and Hawaii. Many aquariums and marine sanctuaries help scientists study and protect them.

What do green sea turtles eat?

Green sea turtles are herbivores, which means they eat plants. Their menu: adults eat seagrass and algae.

Is the green sea turtle endangered?

Status: Least Concern (moved from Endangered in 2025 thanks to protection). That means there are plenty in the wild right now — good news! You can help wild animals by learning about them, saving energy, cutting down on plastic and supporting zoos, aquariums and parks that protect wildlife.

Green Sea Turtle quiz

  1. What decides if baby sea turtles are boys or girls?

  2. What kind of eater is the green sea turtle?

  3. What kind of animal is the green sea turtle?

  4. Where does the green sea turtle live?

✏️ Write about the green sea turtle

1. The most surprising fact I learned is…

2. If I could ask a green sea turtle one question, I would ask…

3. Draw the green sea turtle in its habitat:

🖍️ Draw and color

How to draw a turtleHow to draw a turtleStep-by-step for kidsTurtles coloring pageTurtles coloring pages9 free printables

Green Sea Turtle questions kids ask

Where do green sea turtles live?

Green sea turtles live in the ocean. Their habitat: Warm oceans worldwide; nests on beaches including Florida and Hawaii.

What do green sea turtles eat?

Green sea turtles are herbivores (plant-eater). They eat: Adults eat seagrass and algae.

How big is a green sea turtle?

Shell about 3 to 4 feet long. Weight: About 240–420 lb. A green sea turtle weighs about as much as two grown-ups.

How long do green sea turtles live?

70 years or more.

Is the green sea turtle endangered?

Its conservation status is: Least Concern (moved from Endangered in 2025 thanks to protection). That means there are plenty in the wild right now — good news!

More reptiles

🐊American AlligatorAlligators have wide, U-shaped snouts; crocodiles have narrower, pointier ones.🦎Komodo DragonKomodo dragons are the largest lizards in the world.🦎Panther ChameleonChameleons change color mostly to show their mood and control temperature — not just to hide.🐍Green AnacondaThe green anaconda is the heaviest snake in the world.

🦁 All 40 wild animals → · 🫧 Make an animal sensory bin → · 🖍️ All coloring pages →