More About Sea Turtles – Hawaii Marine Animal Response

How to tell the difference between a Green and Hawksbill sea turtle

	Common name: Green Sea Turtle Hawaiian name: Honu Latin name: Chelonia mydas Status: Protected & Threatened
	Common name: Hawksbill Turtle Hawaiian name: ‘Ea / Honu‘ea Latin name: Eretmochelys imbricata Status: Protected & Endangered

Comparison of the Green turtle and the Hawksbill turtle:

	Green Turtle	Hawksbill Turtle
Hawaiian Name	Honu	‘Ea / Honu’ea
Status	Threatened	Endangered
Distribution	Common	Not common, mostly Maui and Big Island
Adult Weight	Up to 500 lbs.	Up to 200 lbs.
Adult Shell Length	3-4 ft.	2-3 ft.
Diving Depth	Up to 1500 ft.	Up to 1500 ft.
Breathing Cycle	Resting up to 3 hours Normal – every 15 to 30 mins.	Up to 3 hours Normal – every 15 to 30 mins.
Diet	Limu, seagrass and invertebrates	Sponges, algae & invertebrates
Sexual Maturity	25-35 years	20-29 years
Lifespan	80-100 years	30-50 years
Hawaii Nesting Activity	500-800 per year	20-25 per year
Basking	Yes	No
Carapace (Shell)	High domed Non-overlapping scutes Smooth edge Olive to black color	Flatter, more colorful Overlapping scutes Jagged edge More colorful
Claws	1 per flipper	2 per flipper
Nesting Frequency	2 to 8 years	4 years
Intervals of Nesting	4 nests / 14 days apart	1 to 6 nests / 20 days apart
Eggs/Clutch & Incubation	~100 eggs / ~2 months	~180 eggs / ~2 months