A green turtle caught in a fishing net

Size:  Between 36 and 48 inches (90-122 cm) in length and weighing 250 to 450 lbs (113-204 kg).

Description:  Despite this turtles name, the Green Turtle is actually colored brown;  its name is derived from the greenish fat found on its body.  The scutes found on its carpace are light brown/olive and do not overlap one another.
Young:  Hatchling Green Turtles appear almost black, but begin to lighten in color within their first year of age.
Habitat:  Salt water.  Occassionally they enter sounds and rivers during the summer months.
Range:  Found in the Western Atlantic from Massachusetts to southern Florida.

Status:  Considered threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and protected under U.S. law. One of the main reasons for the decline of the Green Turtle is overhunting, due to the use of its flesh in certain types of soup.

Range of the Green Turtle in the Carolinas and Virginia