Green Sea Turtle

Photo: Don Loarie · CC BY

Green turtles are the signature species of Tobago Cays, with the protected seagrass beds inside the horseshoe reef providing one of the Caribbean's most important foraging grounds for this endangered species. Dozens of individuals of varying sizes graze simultaneously on the Thalassia seagrass, their methodical cropping actually stimulating seagrass productivity in the same way grazing maintains grassland health. Long-term monitoring by park rangers has documented individual turtles returning to these beds across multiple years.