
15 February 2021.
Introduction:
The mass nesting of the Olive Ridley turtles has finally began in Puducherry coastline.
Highlights:
- Puducherry coastline is among the migratory route to Odisha which are used by these turtles.
- The coastline is listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
- Though, the traditional migration season of the turtles has delayed possibly due to climate change or change in the climatic conditions because of the influence of Cyclones Nivar and Burevi.
- Now, the female Olive Ridley turtles are leaving hundreds of eggs at nesting spots.
- So far, the team has collected over 4,000 eggs.
The Olive Ridley
- The scientific name of the turtle is Lepidochelys olivacea.
- It is commonly known as Pacific ridley sea turtle.
- The species belongs to the family Cheloniidae.
- It is second smallest and most abundant among all the sea turtles found across the world.
- The turtles are found in warm and tropical waters.
- It is primarily found in Pacific and Indian Oceans.
- It is also found in the warm waters of Atlantic Ocean.
Characteristics
- These turtles are best known for their unique mass nesting.
- The mass nesting is termed as arribada.
- In the process, the female turtles come together in huge number on the same beach and lay eggs.
- They lay their eggs in conical nests which is one and a half feet deep.
- The nests are laboriously dig by the turtles with their hind flippers.
- These turtles are carnivorous and they prey on jellyfish, sea urchins, tunicates, snails, bryozoans, bivalves, crabs and shrimp etc.
Conservation
- The turtles have been classified as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
- It is also listed in Appendix I of CITES. These listings have halted the large-scale commercial exploitation and trade of the skin of turtles.