Green sea turtle
Chelonia mydas
The sea turtle most often recorded around Taiwan. Adults mainly eat seagrass and algae and forage around reefs and coastal feeding grounds.
Sea turtles of Taiwan
One island, five kinds of ocean traveller
They grow with the currents, cross seas to feed and return to shore to begin the next generation. Five of the world’s seven sea-turtle species have been recorded around Taiwan; every encounter reminds us that ocean and land are one connected habitat.
5 species recorded in the waters around Taiwan
All protected as Category I endangered wildlife
Photo: Jesse Schoff / Unsplash
Meet the travellers
One sea, five ways of life
From the frequently seen green turtle to the ocean-roaming leatherback, each has a different shape, diet and range. Identification is only the beginning; they also need safe room to feed and migrate.
Hawksbill sea turtle
Eretmochelys imbricata
Its narrow beak reaches into reef crevices, while overlapping shell plates form a distinctive pattern that once made it a target of the shell trade.
Loggerhead sea turtle
Caretta caretta
A large head and strong jaws help it eat crustaceans and shellfish. Around Taiwan it is more often known from offshore sightings or strandings.
Olive ridley sea turtle
Lepidochelys olivacea
A relatively small turtle with an olive, heart-shaped shell. Records in Taiwan are uncommon, but bycatch and injury can still bring individuals into rescue.
Leatherback sea turtle
Dermochelys coriacea
The largest living sea turtle. Instead of hard shell plates, its back has ridged, leathery skin, suited to roaming deep offshore waters in search of jellyfish.
Life journey
A lifetime that connects sea and shore
Sea turtles spend most of their lives in the ocean, but reproduction brings them back to land. Nesting beaches, coastal feeding grounds and migration routes all matter.
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Nesting ashore
At night, a mature female chooses sand above the tide line and digs a nest. Light, noise and crowds may cause her to abandon the attempt.
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A race to the sea
Hatchlings follow natural light and the open horizon toward the water. Artificial beach lighting can draw them the wrong way.
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Growing with currents
Young turtles enter the open ocean, drifting and feeding as they grow across administrative borders and national waters.
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Returning to familiar waters
Adults move between feeding and breeding grounds. One safe coastline can support a life cycle lasting many decades.
Human-made threats
The danger is not only at sea
Fishing gear, plastic, vessels and coastal development harm turtles at different stages of life. Reducing those risks takes action both offshore and on land.
Bycatch and entanglement
Nets, swallowed hooks and derelict gear can cause drowning, deep wounds and lasting loss of feeding ability.
Marine debris
A plastic bag can resemble a jellyfish in the water, while fragments may block or pierce the digestive tract. Rubbish on land can end up at sea.
Coastal development and light
Hardened shores, recreation pressure and artificial lighting reduce nesting space and can disorient females and hatchlings.
Vessel strikes
Sea turtles must surface to breathe and may be hit by fast-moving boats. The risk grows where coastal activity is dense.