Female green turtles have “mating notches” on their shoulders that assist males in grasping and mounting during copulation.
The green sea turtle reproduction process begins with the male searching for a female mate. Once a female has been found, the male will visually examine and approach the female, and the female will either submit or reject the male. If the female accepts, copulation will follow. The male will mount his mate and grab onto her “mating notches” around her shoulders to assist in copulation. Copulation occurs in the shallow waters off the shore of nesting beaches.
Sources: (Ernst & Barbour, 1989; Hersh, 2016; Hirth, 1971, 1997; Laguex, 1999; North Florida Ecological Services Office, 2017)
Image: Kris-Mikael Kriste
