#cheloniidae

Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas), family Cheloniidae, Gujarat, India

Once considered endangered, the species has recovered.

A green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary

Absolutely!

Green Sea Turtle - The Port A Jetty, East Cotter Avenue, Port Aransas, Texas, USA

Joshua J. Cotten

Corcovado National Park, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, is accessible only by boat or aircraft. Early one morning, Alejandro heard there were bull sharks near the beach and set off to look for them. It wasn't long before he heard a very loud noise - splashing and a hammering sound. Out of the sea came a huge crocodile with a large green turtle in its mouth, which was flapping its flippers and opening and closing its eyes. 'With a fast movement, the crocodile held the turtle by its flipper,' says Alejandro, 'and then, with a flick of its jaws, grabbed the still-living reptile by its head. I willed the crocodile to be still for a moment, while I struggled to keep the camera steady.' He managed just one shot before the crocodile headed for the sea and the mouth of the river, clutching its strange prey.

As musician Fergie once said “Big girls don’t cry...especially if they’re loggerhead sea turtles.” These marine turtles may appear to be crying, but like all sea turtles, they’re actually regulating the amount of salt in their bodies by expelling it through their eyes.

(Image: A loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) discharging excess salt by Itaru Takaku)