Green turtle

Photo: Mario · © all rights reserved

One of the most wide-ranging marine reptiles, green turtles graze on seagrass and algae throughout tropical and subtropical seas. Their diet makes them most common near seagrass beds, sandy shallows, and reef flats, where they methodically crop vegetation. Frigate Bay's protected geometry creates ideal foraging conditions, and turtles here have habituated to divers — encounters at close range are standard. Endangered globally; populations have partially recovered where nesting beaches are protected. Ocean plastic ingestion and boat strikes remain the primary ongoing threats.