moonvoice | [Art] Green Sea Turtle as Totem

Another for the Iconics deck. Green Sea Turtle will go under the place of 'Turtle.' I ended up with three turtles in my shortlist, three which featured on the country flags for islands in particular. In the end, I went with the Green Sea Turtle because it pinged the hardest.

I have actually drawn the Green Sea Turtle before the Australian Animal Oracle Deck. But that was a piece too large for the Expansive Animal Oracle I'm working on now.

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Green Sea Turtle || Chelonia mydas

Keywords:

Longevity. Slow down. Savour the small things. Give your plans more time. Shielding yourself. Psychic defense and protection. The planet. Following currents. Knowing the rhythm and flow of life and the lives around you. Ancestry. Heritage. The past.

Description:

The green sea turtle is a large, heavy turtle that spends most of its life at sea. It can grow up to 1.5 metres in length and weigh some 200 kilos. Sea turtles are quite common in Australia, with 6 of the world's 7 sea turtles visiting Australian waters and shores.

The green sea turtle acquired its name due to the greenish colour of its body fat, so coloured because of algae. Sea turtles are herbivorous and feed on algaes and sea-grasses.

Females often mate at sea with more than one male, and can lay over 100 eggs a year. Sea turtles lay their eggs on traditional nesting beaches, and are threatened by predation and habitat destruction. Green sea turtles are also threatened by hunting, being used for turtle soup. Their shells are also used in ornamentation. All species of green sea turtle are considered Vulnerable.