# What Do Green Sea Turtles Eat?

> Adult green turtles graze seagrass and algae; juveniles eat more animals. Not hawksbill sponges. Never feed them.

- **Species:** Green Sea Turtle (*Chelonia mydas*)
- **Conservation status:** Endangered
- **Diet:** Herbivore as adults (seagrass, algae)
- **Habitat:** Tropical and subtropical coastal seas
- **Lifespan:** 70–80+ years
- **Top speed:** ~35 km/h (22 mph) in short bursts
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/green-sea-turtle/what-do-green-sea-turtle-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/green-sea-turtle/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The green sea turtle is a large marine reptile found in warm oceans worldwide, named for the greenish color of its body fat rather than its shell. Adults are unusual among sea turtles in being mostly herbivorous, grazing on seagrass and algae. They migrate long distances between feeding grounds and the beaches where they hatched, and can live 70 to 80 years or more.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## Behavior and migration

Green sea turtles undertake some of the longest migrations of any reptile, traveling hundreds or thousands of kilometers between feeding areas and nesting beaches. Remarkably, females return to the very beach where they hatched to lay their own eggs, navigating using the Earth's magnetic field.

## Help protect the Green Sea Turtle

Green sea turtles face drowning in nets, plastic and nest loss on beaches. Nest protection and bycatch reduction still need funding.

[Donate to protect sea turtles](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/appeals/sea-turtles/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/green-sea-turtle/what-do-green-sea-turtle-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.