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Turtle Power

Green sea turtles were recently removed from the worldwide endangered species list.

January 19, 2026
By Ellen Song

As You Read, Think About: What are some of the dangers that green sea turtles face?

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Green sea turtles have lived in Earth’s oceans since the time of the dinosaurs.

It’s late at night. A 300-pound female green sea turtle slowly emerges from the ocean. She picks a spot on the sandy beach and uses her back flippers to dig a nest. There, she’ll lay 100 eggs or more. About two months later, hatchlings will break out of the shells and scamper to the sea. 

Surviving to adulthood will be a challenge for the young turtles. Green sea turtles have faced many threats. In 1982, they were listed as an endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The organization tracks the risk of extinction for animals and plants worldwide. 

But thanks to efforts to protect green sea turtles, their global population has increased. A recent IUCN report now lists them as “a species of least concern” for dying out. 

“This news shows us that when conservation efforts focus on the most important threats, turtles can recover,” says wildlife biologist Bryan Wallace. He’s one of the authors of the report. 

What You Need to Know About Endangered Species
Watch a video to learn how animals become endangered.

Trouble for Turtles

Green turtles are one of the largest of the seven species of sea turtles. They live in warm waters near the coastal areas of more than 140 countries, including the United States. 

When Christopher Columbus arrived in the Caribbean in the 1490s, sailors were shocked by the abundance of green turtles. Wallace explains that the huge reptiles became an easy source of food for European explorers.

“They described taking 50 turtles off the beach in a matter of three hours,” he says, “and they could do that every single night.” 

Over the next several centuries, green sea turtles were overhunted for their meat and eggs, which were considered a delicacy. Their shells were used to make jewelry and other objects. 

Over time, construction along coastlines left the turtles with fewer nesting sites, and ocean pollution harmed their habitats. Accidental trapping also depleted their numbers. The turtles sometimes get entangled in nets meant to catch fish or other sea creatures and end up drowning.

By the 1970s, green sea turtles had been nearly wiped out around the world. 

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A green sea turtle is trapped in a net off the coast of Nicaragua, a country in Central America.

A Team Effort

But the turtles have been slowly making a comeback. Many countries, including the U.S., have passed laws that ban the hunting of green turtles. And on beaches around the world, people protect turtle nests from danger. For example, Wallace and his team sometimes scoop up eggs as soon as they’re laid and move them to a safer spot. 

Scientists have also worked with fishers to develop gear that’s safer for sea turtles. Some large fishing boats now have nets with “trap doors” that allow turtles to escape if they’re accidentally caught. 

According to the IUCN report, the global population of green turtles has increased by almost 30 percent since the 1970s.

“Conservation works if you have people in the right places doing the right things together,” says Wallace. 

Under Protection

Although green turtles are no longer at risk of extinction, their population is much lower than in the past. In fact, they’re still considered endangered in the U.S. And other species of sea turtles remain endangered. 

To help all marine turtles thrive again, experts say, people must keep supporting conservation efforts. 

“For us to continue the forward progress, we need to keep doing what we’ve been doing and do more of it,” says Wallace.

Get to Know Green Sea Turtles

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  • Green sea turtle eggs are about the size of Ping-Pong balls. Hatchlings weigh less than 1 ounce and are about 2 inches long.

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  • Adults can grow to be 4 feet long and weigh more than 400 pounds. They’re mainly herbivores, eating seagrass and other plants.

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  • Green sea turtles get their name from the color of their fat, not their shells. Their shells can be brownish, olive, or gray.
  • Sea turtles can’t breathe underwater. But they can hold their breath for hours at a time.

1. Why were green sea turtles hunted for several centuries?

2. What is the meaning of depleted as it is used in the article? What details in the text help provide clues to this meaning?

3. Summarize the main ideas of the section “Under Protection.”

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