Green Sea Turtle
Chelonia mydas
Sighting evidence at Buck Island National Monument, US Virgin Islands
Photo: MARC MARTIN SOLA · CC BY-NC
Green turtles are the signature species of Buck Island, with a resident foraging population grazing seagrass beds on the island's leeward side and resting beneath coral ledges on the reef. Females nest on Buck Island's beaches between May and September, and the monument's no-take status means turtles here show unusually little fear of divers, allowing extended close-range observation. Long-term monitoring by NPS staff has documented individual turtles returning to the same foraging patches for over two decades.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Green Sea Turtle is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.