Nesting of Olive Ridley Turtles.

Olive-ridley Sea Turtles!

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.
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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.

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