For the most part, green turtles are tropical nesters. However, green turtles also nest in Florida and the occasional female green turtle even comes ashore to lay eggs as far north as North Carolina.

The eggs laid by the females incubate for several months. When the hatchlings emerge, they make their way down to the water and swim offshore, presumably to the North Atlantic Current system, where they will spend the first years of their lives.

After completing their pelagic life stage, juvenile green turtles recruit in to the east coast of the US. As juveniles and adults, these turtles will feed on seagrasses, which makes them the only herbivorous species of sea turtle.