The green sea turtle is the only herbivorous sea turtle found on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
Adult green sea turtles mainly graze on seagrasses and algae, although young turtles are more varied in their feeding habits. Their diet gives them an important ecological role in maintaining seagrass beds and transferring nutrients between marine and beach environments.
The species is widely distributed through tropical and subtropical oceans and nests at several Great Barrier Reef islands, including Raine Island. Green sea turtles are named for the greenish color of their body fat, not because their shells are always green.
Other reef turtles have different diets. Hawksbill turtles commonly eat sponges, while loggerhead turtles consume hard-shelled animals. The green sea turtle’s adult herbivory is the key distinction in this question.