Green turtle

The Green Sea Turtle, Chelonia midas, or Honu in Tahitian, is one of the most fascinating animals in the ocean, and Tetiaroa plays a key conservation role for the local population.

Green Sea Turtles are by far the most common turtle species in French Polynesia. Their name comes from the color of a fatty layer under the shell which is tinged green because of the adult’s herbivorous diet of sea grass and algae. The species is found all through the tropical oceans, and they are known to travel long distance between feeding and nesting sites.

The turtles nesting on Tetiaroa have been tracked across the Pacific to Fiji, but even on these long migrations the turtles, male and female, always return to the island they were born on.

The life cycle of Green Sea Turtles on Tetiaroa begins at night, when the young hatch in a nest dug deep into the sandy beach of one of the motu. The hatchlings struggle to the surface and, possibly guided by the light of the moon on the water, head down the beach to the water’s edge.

As adults they become almost entirely herbivorous and then rely on seagrass and algae found in shallow water. It is at this time that they commence long migrations between feeding and breeding grounds that can be over 3,000km.

On breeding grounds, like Tetiaroa, the males swim offshore searching for females to mate. Females move from mating offshore to the island’s beaches to lay eggs. A female may mate and lay eggs up to 10 times in one season, in 15-day intervals, each time producing 60-110 eggs.

Green Sea Turtles can live to 100 years old, by which time a female could lay upwards of 30,000 eggs.

In pre-European times the Polynesian people considered honu to be sacred, an animal of the ocean that comes on land to nest, thus connecting the two worlds of this island culture. Turtles were known for power, tenacity, courage, and long life, and were frequently claimed as totems by Polynesian families.

In the 20th century, Green Sea Turtle populations in French Polynesia and around the world crashed due to human exploitation and destruction of nesting habitat. Beginning in the 1970’s local and international laws began to restrict turtle fisheries and start a long period of recovery. Long-term studies done in Hawaii have shown a remarkable repopulation of turtle stocks. Likewise, monitoring work on Tetiaroa by the local non-profit Te Mana o Te Moana has recorded a substantial increase in nesting over the last 11 years, with a record number of nests in 2018.

Breeding season on Tetiaroa is usually October to March and Te Mana o Te Moana researchers are present throughout this time to study the turtles. The team walks the beaches of the motu on a nightly basis, watching for females to photo ID, mapping nests, and monitoring hatchling success.

This invaluable work is supported by The French Polynesia Department of the Environment, The Brando Resort, Tetiaroa Society, Vilebrequin, Hinerava, IFDB - Institute for Business Development, Van Oord, Prince Albert Foundation 2, Mireille and Richard Bailey, and Carl Swan.

When The Brando Resort was built the beaches surrounding it were left undisturbed, so now Green Sea Turtles nest all around the hotel. During the breeding season guests of The Brando Resort often have a chance to accompany Tetiaroa Society guides to see female turtles digging nests and laying eggs, or hatchlings scurrying down the beach to the water. Seeing these amazing animals in their natural habitat is an experience that will not soon be forgotten.