(Image credit: Antonia Cooper)

Green turtles are recorded as occasional visitors to Tasmania, usually associated with the seasonal impact of the East Australia Current or the Leeuwin current.

Adults have a smooth, high-domed shell that is an olive green colour with occasional brown, reddish-brown or black mottling. This is the largest of the hard-shelled sea turtles and the head is small compared to body size. Hatchlings have a black carapace with white edges, white edges on their flippers and plastron (under part of shell).

Length: Adult carapace averages 1 m

Habitat

Coastal and offshore in tropical and subtropical waters worldwide; 0-25 m depth

Log it

Turtle distribution and movement patterns are not well know, so please log this species wherever it is spotted in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmanian, South Australian and southern Western Australian waters

Related links/info

Species names on the Redmap site are based on the Codes for Australian Aquatic Biota or CAAB (http://www.cmar.csiro.au/caab/). This is updated regularly and lists the approved common name, family, species name and more.

Redmap species descriptions were provided by Dr. Christine Fury and where applicable with permission on the following books.

Australian Marine Life: The Plants and Animals of Temperate Waters by G. J. Edgar, Revised (2008) Reed Books, Melbourne

Fishes of Australia’s Southern Coast, Edited by M. Gomon. D. Bray and R. Kuiter (2008) Reed Books, Melbourne

Fishes of Tasmania by P. Last, E. Scott and F. Talbot (1983). Tasmanian Fisheries Development Authority, Hobart