The sea turtle on the sock

The green sock in the Deep Water Guardian trio carries a sea turtle, with a band of seaweed knitted around the cuff. Here is the animal behind it.

A grazer

Green turtles spend most of their day in shallow water, grazing on seagrass and algae. It is the seagrass diet that gives their fat its green colour and the species its name. They live along the whole coast of Western Australia, and the beaches of the north-west are some of the most important nesting grounds in the world.

Breathing, and diving

A turtle is a reptile and breathes air. An active turtle comes up every few minutes. A resting one can stay on the bottom for hours, with its heart rate down to a beat every few minutes. About 110 m is the deepest dive usually quoted for a green turtle, far below the seagrass beds where it feeds, and far above the octopus at 180 m and the whale shark at 1,928 m.

On the sock

The turtle is knitted in green, as part of the fabric rather than printed on it, so the picture keeps its shape and colour wash after wash. The yarn is 85% cotton, 12% nylon and 3% elastane, and one size fits most adult feet. The turtle sock is sold on its own or in the trio, on the Deep Water Guardian socks page. Every order is posted from Perth with Australia Post; here is how long that takes, state by state.