Write a 7 pages paper on green sea turtles. Last section is regarding their predators and threats. The report is summarized in a concluding paragraph and APA referencing style has been used properly b

Write a 7 pages paper on green sea turtles. Last section is regarding their predators and threats. The report is summarized in a concluding paragraph and APA referencing style has been used properly both for in-text citation and referencing.

Introduction

Green sea turtles, or honu (pronounced hoe'-new), are those reptiles whose ancestors, around 150 million years ago, were known to have evolved on land and then moved to sea. These turtles are one of the oldest species which has seen the evolution and extinction of dinosaurs. It is important to describe here the biological classification of green sea turtles.

Kingdom Anamalia

Phylum Chordata (vertebrates)

Class Reptilia (reptiles)

Order Chelonia (turtles and tortoises)

Family Cheloniidae (true sea turtles)

Genus Chelonia

Species mydas

sub-species aggazizi (Hawaiian population)

Structural Traits

Green sea turtles possess all the traits of reptiles and the other species of sea turtles. They are cold blooded animals, meaning that they change their body temperature according to the environment or, in other words, take body heat from the environment. They breathe air and have scales on their bodies like many other reptiles. They have got their name because of the color of their body fat which is green. This green color is because of the algae or limu that they eat. An adult green sea turtle weighs over 500 pounds. Like all other turtle species, green sea turtles possess a hard and bony outer structure called shell whose function is to provide protection to the turtle from predators. This hard shell covers both the dorsal and the ventral part of the turtle’s body and is known to be the hardest and an exceedingly developed weapon that any vertebrate can ever possess.