GREEN SEA TURTLE being cleaned by YELLOW TANGs
Chelonia mydas and Zebrasoma flavescens
©reeflectionsGreen sea turtles are reptiles whose ancestors evolved on land and took to the sea to live about 150 million years ago. They are one of the few species so ancient that they watched the dinosaurs evolve and become extinct.
In this photo - This Green Sea Turtle is getting cleaned by Yellow Tangs. Like most surgeonfish, yellow tangs are algae eaters. This works well for the turtles that are unable to wash their own backs. Yellow tangs are the number one fish caught here in Hawaii for export to the aquarium market and are becoming very rare on some the Islands. Please don’t buy any wild fish for your aquariums. You will make the turtles very happy. Source & other images for sale here: http://reeflections.smugmug.com
—-
The green turtle is a large sea turtle that inhabits tropical and subtropical coastal waters around the world. Occasionally seen sunbathing, it is one of the few marine turtles known to leave the water other than at nesting times.
It is named not for the color of its shell, which is normally brown or olive depending on its habitat, but for the greenish color of its skin.
Weighing up to 700 pounds (317.5 kilograms) green turtles are among the largest sea turtles in the world. Their proportionally small head is non-retractable and extends from a heart-shaped carapace that measures up to 5 feet (1.5 meters). Males are slightly larger than females and have a longer tail. Both have flippers that resemble paddles, which make them powerful and graceful swimmers.
Unlike most sea turtles, adult green turtles are herbivores, feeding on sea grasses and algae. Juveniles, however, will also eat invertebrates like crabs, jellyfish, and sponges.
Source: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/green-turtle.html
Other “cleaning” posts: