Green sea turtle

Photo: Don Loarie · CC BY

Green turtles are unique among sea turtles in being primarily herbivorous as adults, grazing on seagrass and algae that the reef slopes of Anses d'Arlet produce in abundance. Their grazing maintains seagrass bed health by stimulating growth in the way that cropping maintains grasslands — ungrazed seagrass beds become less productive over time. Green turtles are endangered globally but show population growth in several eastern Caribbean nesting sites; the resident feeding population at Anses d'Arlet includes adults that have been photographically identified returning across multiple years.