Sea turtles evolved 180 million years ago, long before the Hawaiian Islands were formed. For turtles, Hawaii is a luckier home than some other places. When Christopher Columbus sailed through the Caribbean in 1503, he saw so many green sea turtles that he named three islands Las Tortugas. He called the turtles the most valuable reptiles in the world, and they were soon exterminated for their shells and flesh as the western hemisphere was explored and exploited.

The green turtle is listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. In 1978, the Hawaiian population of the green turtle was listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Photographer : Dellana Groen
Location : Hawaii Island
Date Taken : 25 February 2009

This is a professional photographic print.

Artist will sign and date back of print on request.

8x12 Prints or larger are shipped in a tube unless otherwise requested.