Identification Photos: Black Sea Turtle, Chelonia agassizi: The Black Sea Turtle, similar to and often confused with the Atlantic Green Sea Turtle, is a member of the Cheloniidae Family found in Mexican waters. It is recognized by its small blunt head, serrated jaw, and dark green to black color.

The Black Sea Turtle has two very large and very long prefrontal scales on the forehead and four smaller scales under the eyes. The main shell has two sets of four coastal shields on the back and one set of five vertebral shields down the center, all of which are rectangular and more or less of equal size. The front flippers have one set of claws. The Black Sea Turtle is a vegetarian, feeding predominately on sea grasses.

The Black Sea Turtle reaches four feet in length and up to 250 pounds. It inhabits all oceanic waters, with the exception of the polar regions, and is found in brackish water, bays, river mouths, estuaries, oceans (far out at sea), coastal waters, and around reefs.

The male Black Sea Turtle spends its entire life at sea, leaving land on the day it is born. Mating occurs in the spring and summer in surface waters offshore from the nesting beaches.

The female Black Sea Turtle crawls onto undisturbed sandy nesting beaches during the night climbing above the high tide line, digging holes with front limbs, laying eggs (40 to 140), and then burying the eggs (white, 1.6 inches, and approximately 35 to 45 grams). The eggs incubate unattended for 31 to 65 days and the hatchlings move quickly to the water under the cover of darkness. A female normally lays three to four nests per year at two-week intervals and only nests every second or third year.

The Black Sea Turtle is currently listed internationally as an endangered species. The current global populations of this species are unknown. Key factors attributed to its decline are the loss of habitat due to human coastal development which also includes contributed artificial light which causes disorientation of nesting females, pollution from human garbage, accidental capture by shrimp trawlers and longliners, and nest robbing by humans and predators.

Black Sea Turtle, Chelonia agassizi: Released after striking Rapala lure in the Midriff Islands, Sea of Cortez, Mexico. Photo courtesy of Bob Castellon. Black Sea Turtle, Chelonia agassizi: Photo courtesy of Russ Gale.