Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 149, May 2017, pp. 1-30. | Page 19

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My precious wife Ola Mostafa Khalaf snorkeling in the Celebes Sea waters of the Mataking
Island, Sabah, Malaysia. February 2015.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/19982237512/

Predators
Only human beings and the larger sharks feed on Chelonia mydas adults.
Specifically, tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) hunt adults in Hawaiian waters.
Juveniles and new hatchlings have significantly more predators, including crabs,
small marine mammals and shorebirds. In Turkey, their eggs are vulnerable to
predation by red foxes and golden jackals (Wikipedia).
At Ras Al-Hadd Nature Reserve in Oman, green turtles Chelonia mydas nest year
round, with a distinct lower-density nesting season from October to May, and a
higher-density nesting season from June to September. On these beaches, the
main predators of turtle eggs and hatchlings are foxes Vulpes spp. (Vulpes vulpes
arabica, Vulpes rueppellii sabaea, and Vulpes cana), wolves Canis lupus arabs, and
wild cats Felis spp. and Caracal caracal schmitzi (Mendonça, Al Saady, Al Kiyumi
and Erzini, 2010).

Life Cycle
Green sea turtles migrate long distances between feeding sites and nesting sites;
some swim more than 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi) to reach their spawning
grounds. Mature turtles often return to the exact beach from which they hatched.
Females usually mate every two to four years. Males, on the other hand, visit the
breeding areas every year, attempting to mate. Mating seasons vary between
populations. For most C. mydas in the Caribbean, mating season is from June to
September. The French Guiana nesting subpopulation nests from March to June.
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 149 – May 2017