Photo: Brocken Inaglory · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Description
- 📏 up to 1.2 m
- 🌊 seagrass beds, lagoons, reef flats and nesting sites
- 🛡️ Endangered (IUCN)
The green sea turtle (honu) is the great reptile of the lagoon. As an adult it feeds mainly on seagrass and algae, and its fat takes on a greenish tint that gave it its name. It surfaces to breathe every few dozen minutes and comes to lay its eggs on the sand of the motu.
In island life
In ancient Polynesian society the honu was a sacred animal. Its meat was reserved for the gods and chiefs, and it was offered on the marae. Today it is protected in French Polynesia and it is forbidden to catch it.
Source: Polynesian traditions; French Polynesia regulations
Tahitian names: common usage in reo Tahiti. French name: Tortue verte.
📸 Add your photo
Did you meet this animal? Share your photo. It will be checked automatically (only photos of marine animals are published).
