Quilling turtle handicrafted by Vietnet Quilling Arts

COMMON NAME: Green Sea Turtle

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Chelonia mydas

TYPE: Reptiles

DIET: Herbivore

GROUP NAME: Bale

AVERAGE LIFE SPAN IN THE WILD: 80 or more years

SIZE: Up to 5 feet

WEIGHT: Up to 700 pounds

The green turtle is a large, weighty sea turtle with a wide, smooth carapace, or shell. It inhabits tropical and subtropical coastal waters around the world and has been observed clambering onto land to sunbathe. Green turtles are listed as an endangered species. However, they are still killed for their eggs and meat.

5 MAJOR THREATS THEY ARE FACING

FISHERIES BYCATCH

According to estimation, fishing industry contributes to the death of thousands to tens of thousands sea turtles each year. Turtles that become accidentally trapped in long-lines, gill nets and trawls are thrown away as bycatch. Those that manage to avoid fishing nets are impacted by the disruption to their food supply and habitat.

COASTAL DEVELOPMENT

Every year, sea turtle habitats are destroyed because of shrinking coastlines. Wherever there is boat vessel traffic, whenever a new hotel or high-rise is built up along the shore, and wherever there is sea floor dredging and beach erosion sea turtle food supplies and nesting areas take a major hit.

POLLUTION AND PATHOGENS

Marine pollution can harm sea turtles in many ways. Plastic pollution, discarded fishing gear, petroleum by-products, and other debris injure sea turtles through ingestion and entanglement. Ocean pollution can also weaken the turtles’ immune systems, and disrupt nesting behavior and hatchling orientation.

DIRECT TAKE

Throughout the world, turtles are killed and traded on the global market as exotic food, oil, leather, and jewelry. Over the past 100 years, millions of hawk-bill turtles alone have been killed just for the price of their shells. And even though today the global trade of luxury and craft items has reduced thanks to conservation efforts, it still remains an ongoing threat to turtles in parts of Africa, Asia and the Americas.

CLIMATE CHANGE

We are just now learning the extent to which climate change can affect sea turtles. Climate change can impact the natural sex ratios of hatchlings, increase the likelihood of disease outbreaks, and can escalate the frequency of extreme weather events, which destroy nesting beaches and coral reefs.

HOW YOU CAN HELP SEA TURTLES

CHOOSE YOUR SEAFOOD WISELY: Online resources such as Seafood Watch (also available as a mobile application) and certification programs like the Marine Stewardship Council help you choose the most ocean-friendly seafood options.
SPREAD THE WORD
VOTE FOR THE OCEAN
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
CONSIDER A PRODUCT’S ENTIRE LIFE
SUPPORT TURTLE FRIENDLY TOURISM
LEARN THE RULES OF THE BEACH
DON’T CONSUME OR PURCHASE SEA TURTLE PRODUCTS
REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

To start:

Turn Off – Make sure to turn lights off when you leave a room.
Unplug – Appliances can draw energy even when powered off, so unplug those not in use. Use power strips to make shutting down multiple units at once easier.
Make a Switch – Evaluate your commute to determine whether or not you can take public transportation, bike, walk, or carpool.

OUR ART WORK FOR QUILLING SEA TURTLE

Our design team spent time and passion to make quilling art work for sea turtle. The beautiful creature image was carefully captured and transformed into idea. High quality paper (FSC certificate) are used to deliver our idea into real art pieces. The quilling turtle is one of our iconic designs since the beginning of Vietnet. Through the message of our love to the nature, quilling sea turtle & marine animals are always our most favorite categories. Enjoy short video of our creation.