Black Turtle
Chelonia agassizii
KINGDOM: Animalia
PHYLUM: Chordata
CLASS: Reptilia
ORDER: Testudines
SUBORDER: Cryptodira
FAMILY: Cheloniidae
GENUS: Chelonia
SPECIES: agassizii
A small note about the black turtle
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
The black turtle is a littl bit smaller than the Chelonia mydas, with a narrower carapace than the green. The plastron is a bluish- to yellowish-gray, and it is a dark gray with olive and brown, and possibly yellow stripes. The head is blunt and small, with a single pair of scales in front of the eyes. (Like its near relative, the green.)
Florida SeaWorld's female black turtle, having a nice rest with one of her friends
SIZE and NESTING:
These turtles can grow anywhere from 60-117 cm long. Nesting females average at 41.6 kg, and males weigh in at a 55.7 kg.
The Chelonia agassizii nests in the Northern Hempisphere from October to November, and in the Southern Hem. (well, the Galapagos Islands) in February and March. The females return to the same site each year, and often share their beach with leatherbacks and olive ridleys. Females lay between 1-8 nests each season, every 1 to 3 years.
FEEDING:
The adults are herbivores, but younger juveniles and hatchling much on pelagic animals. During migration, however, the adults sample mollusks, sponges, jelly fish, and annelids. The most common foods are mangrove shoot, algae, and seaweed.
HABITAT:
The breeding grounds of the black turtle are in Mexico, El Salvador, and the Galapagos Islands. The Chelonia agassizii lives in coastal waters and sleeps sheltered by rocks or coral. The former behavior is much like other turtles, notably the green.
THREATS:
The black turtle is accidently caught in shrimp trawls and shark nets, and is eaten as a sustenance food in some parts of the globe. It's actually reasonably common in Central America . . . THAT'S A GOOD THING!!!!!!!!!
The black turtle is not always recognized as a completely separate species. Sometimes is it referred to as the Chelonia mydas agassizii, a subspecies of the green turtle.
