Green Sea Turtle

Photo: Nipha Raykasem · CC BY-NC

Green turtles are the defining species at Hon Doi Moi, grazing seagrass beds adjacent to the reef flat and resting on massive Porites coral heads in water shallow enough to observe in full natural light without a torch. As obligate herbivores, adult green turtles play an essential role in maintaining seagrass meadow structure — their grazing stimulates leaf productivity and prevents the seagrass from becoming too dense and anoxic at the base. Nesting females return to Phu Quoc's beaches between May and September, and the population here has shown gradual recovery following the establishment of the Gulf of Thailand protected area.