Nesting of Olive Ridley 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.