Green Sea Turtle

Photo: Martin W · CC BY-NC

Green sea turtles rest regularly on the ledges and overhangs of The Cathedral's exterior wall, taking refuge in the current shadow before heading to nearby seagrass beds to graze. As adults they are exclusively herbivorous, consuming seagrass and macroalgae, but juveniles eat jellyfish, sponges, and invertebrates before transitioning to a plant-based diet. In the protected lagoon ecosystem of Rodrigues they play an essential role in maintaining productive seagrass meadows through intensive cropping pressure.