Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 149, May 2017, pp. 1-30. | Page 12

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turtle's snout is very short and its beak is unhooked. The sheath of the turtle's
upper jaw possesses a denticulated edge, while its lower jaw has stronger,
serrated, more defined denticulation. The dorsal surface of the turtle's head has a
single pair of prefrontal scales. Its carapace is composed of five central scutes
flanked by four pairs of lateral scutes. Underneath, the green turtle has four pairs
of inframarginal scutes covering the area between the turtle's plastron and its
shell. Mature Chelonia mydas front appendages have only a single claw (as
opposed to the hawksbill's two), although a second claw is sometimes prominent
in young specimens (Wikipedia).
The carapace of the turtle has various color patterns that change over time.
Hatchlings of Chelonia mydas, like those of other marine turtles, have mostly black
carapaces and light-colored plastrons. Carapaces of juveniles turn dark brown to
olive, while those of mature adults are either entirely brown, spotted or marbled
with variegated rays. Underneath, the turtle's plastron is hued yellow. Chelonia
mydas limbs are dark-colored and lined with yellow, and are usually marked
with a large dark brown spot in the center of each appendage (Wikipedia).

The first 12 hatched Green Sea Turtles from total 80 adopted eggs, at the Reef Turtle Hatchery,
Mataking Island, Sabah, Malaysia .. The hatched eggs were released to the Celebes Sea where
they belong at 6.00 p.m. on 19.02.2015 .. Alf Mabrouk Ola Khalaf.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/19720760860/
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 149 – May 2017