Nesting

The Atlantic green turtle is found in tropical and subtropical waters along continental coasts and islands which are located between 30° North and 30° South. They live in tropical waters all over the world. Only the females emerge from the water when they are laying their eggs. About every two or three years they leave their feeding grounds and migrate as far as 800 miles to their nesting beaches. Biologists believe that nesting female turtles return to the same beach where they were born. This beach is called a natal beach. They lay an average of 3 to 5 egg clutches, with about 12 days between each nesting. There are an average of 115 eggs per clutch and they incubate for about 60 days. Nesting season runs from June through October in the U.S. The largest nesting site in the Western Hemisphere is at Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Males do not accompany the females, but they all get together at the breeding grounds.