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Chelonia mydas

‘Onu Kai*

Green Turtle

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult and head closeup	74KB
Image:	Hatchling - born to be free!	30KB
Image:	Palmerston to Fiji journey of 52 days	51KB
Image:	poorly maintained captive turtle	49KB
Video:	on Rarotonga (© Karl Traylor)	371KB
Article:	Identify Cook Islands Marine Turtles Gerald McCormack, September 2005	Read

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Green Turtle

TRADITIONAL NAMES: ‘Onu (RR MK MT AK), Onu (AT), Honu (TS TW), Fonu Pokaikai (MH), Wonu / Taepū < Wonu < Wonu Manini < Matakeo / Mataweu < Tua Yilivalu (PK); Other Polynesian - Honu (HAW)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native, Migrant, Breeder; Marine-Land, near-shore and oceanic, nest ashore

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Globally endangered (seriously)Flesh food (++)

KEY FEATURES: To 150cm curved CL. HEAD prefrontals 1-pair. CARAPACE olive or brown, arched, 5 midline plates; side or costal plates 4 pairs; marginals 25, not toothed. LIMBS with 1 claw. TAIL xxxxx

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+		+	S+

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
+++			i+++

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Chelonia mydas Linnaeus
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); TETRAPODA; REPTILIA; TESTUDINATA; Chelonia; CHELONIIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
BIODIVERSITY: Globally endangered (seriously). Comment: NBSAP - Te Au-o-Tonga (1 of 8 wild animals), NBSAP - Mitiaro (6 of 10 wild animals)
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Flesh food (++)

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Mauke: photo, ~20cm, College coll., 3/2001, ID GMcC. Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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