After hatching, the tiny, one-ounce turtles take several days to emerge from the nest. A single hatchling would not be able to emerge from the nest by itself. Working as a team, hatchlings scrape sand off the roof of the nest cavity and pack this sand on the floor. In doing so, hatchlings raise their nest toward the surface of the beach. When they are about an inch from the surface, the topmost hatchlings cease their activities if the sand is hot.
Cool sand indicates that it is night or an overcast day.
The hatchlings then emerge from the nest, thereby avoiding the sun's heat and perhaps predatory birds. O nce out of the nest, the hatchlings race to the water and swim constantly for the next 36 to 48 hours. They are then carried by currents to favorable areas in the open ocean, where they grow for several years until they join adult and juvenile turtles at the coastal feeding grounds. While in the open ocean, young green turtles are probably carnivorous and feed on invertebrates such as jellyfish. Some hatchlings never reach the oceans and are snatched up by hungry crabs.