Sea Turtle Facts

Green sea turtle vs hawksbill: how to tell Hawaii's two sea turtles apart by shell, beak, size, and diet. A simple side by side ID guide for snorkelers.

Do sea turtles see in color? Yes. Honu have color vision tuned to blue, green, and yellow, and can even see ultraviolet light humans cannot. Here is how a turtle sees the reef.

Sea turtle camouflage is a clever trick called countershading. A honu's dark back and light belly help it vanish from predators above and below. Here is how it works.

What is a turtle shell made of? A honu shell is living bone fused to the spine and ribs, covered in keratin scutes. Here is how a sea turtle shell is built and why it never comes off.

Turtle snorkeling off Waikiki gives you a view found almost nowhere else, with honu below and Diamond Head and the Honolulu skyline above. Here is what makes it special.

What is a group of turtles called? Most often a bale. Learn where the word comes from, why sea turtles are mostly solitary, and the rare times honu actually gather.