The Black Sea Turtle, Chelonia
mydas agassizi, is slightly smaller than the green
sea turtle, Chelonia mydas, with a weight of 65-125
kg (144 to 278 lbs) and an average carapace length of 80
cm (32 in) (Ripple, 2006). Like Green Sea Turtles, the tales
of the males are much longer than those of females.
Black Sea Turtles range from gray to black. They are further
distinguished from Green Sea Turtles by their narrower carapace
with a steeper slope. Their rear flippers have more pronounced
indentations than do those of Green Sea Turtles. Other physical
aspects of Green and Black Sea Turtles are the same, reflecting
their close genetic relationship.
Black Sea Turtles nest in the Galapagos Islands, and are
the only sea turtles known to do so. They also nest on the
Pacific coast of Central and South America, including at
a government protected nesting site in Michoacan, Mexico.
They lay about 70 eggs in a clutch, which is fewer in number
than the general population of Green Sea Turtles (110-115
eggs per clutch). Their range is the tropical eastern Pacific,
and they are sometimes referred to as eastern Pacific green
sea turtles.
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| Picture of East
Pacific green sea turtles or black sea turtles, Chelonia
mydas agassizi, with Scalloped
Hammerhead Shark, Sphyrna lewini,
in background, Galapagos Islands, Equador,
Pacific Ocean |
Image
#: 005360 |
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Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodera
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*The taxonomy of the black sea turtle is in dispute. Some consider
it a separate species - Chelonia agassizi. However, recent
genetic information shows the black sea turtle to be so close
genetically to the green sea turtle that separate species status
may be difficult to justify. Consequently, many taxonomists
prefer to classify it as a subspecies of the green sea turtle.
Complicating the issue is the politics of the conservation
effort: separate species status would make this an extremely
rare species, justifying extraordinary conservation efforts.
Lumped together with the green sea turtle, its conservation
status may not appear so dire.
Other common names: East Pacific Green Sea Turtle, Eastern
Pacific Green Sea Turtle, Green Black Sea Turtle, Black Seaturtle,
Tortuga Negra (Spanish) (Ripple, 1996)
• Black Sea Turtle information assembled from published
and on-line sources by Kevin
Miller on Jan. 30, 2007 for SeaPics.com.
Sources:
Perrine,
D. Sea Turtles of the World, Voyageur Press, 2003
Ripple,
J. Sea Turtles, Voyageur Press, 1996
Witherington,
B. Sea Turtles, Voyageur Press, 2006
http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=51 |
