GREEN TURTLES & TURTLE AWARENESS ON ABACO

There’s something slightly unsettling about the perspective of the header image, with foreshortening suggesting that the turtle is actually a gigantic creature with a tiny diver swimming close to it…

I don’t seem to have given green turtles much space in the past, the most frequently photographed (and therefore featured) species being the hawksbill. This post is both to right the wrong, and to provide some information about the species.

Friends of the Environment has produced an interesting short guide to the sea turtles of the Bahamas. One of the many facts included is that 5 of the 7 sea turtle species in the world can be found in Bahamian waters. The turtle protection law is also given – also the way to report turtle nests so they can be watched and protected.

The 4 main species are the hawksbill, green, loggerhead and leatherback. The 5th and lesser known one is the Olive Ridley turtle. The differences between most of these is considerable, as can be seen from this IUCN-produced Identification Chart (credits as shown).

Another useful source of information for green turtles is this extremely well produced poster illustrated by the excellent Dawn Witherington, who has somewhat (and deservedly) cornered the market with this kind of large-scale infographic. The sea turtle series is so helpful that I have dedicated a whole page to them HERE. Dawn also created the LOXAHATCHEE poster series covering such topics as Lionfish, Sea Grasses, Land Crabs, Bonefish, Coral Reefs and more

All photos: Adam Rees Photography, with thanks for use permission here and elsewhere