Olive Ridley turtles born in Odisha’s Gahirmatha
Olive ridley turtles are considered as the most abundant species of the world because of the mass destruction of their nesting sites. They are listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red list and are also protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
Odisha’s Gahirmatha and Rushikulya are a hub of this endangered species and one of the best places for hatching. More than 1.48 crore Olive Ridley turtles born in Odisha’s Gahirmatha beach
As it’s the nesting season of Olive ridley turtles and especially Odisha’s coastal zone near Rushikulya rookery broke the previous record and a total no of 1.48cr of Olive ridley turtles burl in this season.
Gahirmatha beach is known as the World’s largest nesting ground for this Olive ridley turtle family where they lay their eggs and continue their hatching for a couple of days.
This year a total of 3.49 lakh female turtles came for mass nesting and this process is called “Arribada”.Each female lays around 100-120 eggs and after 40-50days of the incubation period, the hatchlings will merge out of the shells, and then they will start their journey towards the sea.
Even after such steps still, it’s not so easy to control the death rate of this species. Lakhs of baby turtles dying regularly. Still, the ratio is not so good so need to take some more tactical steps to counter the issues.
Let’s check some fun facts about Olive Ridley Turtles-
1. Olive ridley turtles reach a maximum length of 2.5 feet (0.7 m) and a maximum weight of 110 pounds (50 kg).2
2. They can be found at depths up to 150 m.
3. Can sleep underwater for two hours before coming up for air.
4. It is estimated that olive ridley turtles live for 50 to 60 years.
5. Arribadas occur so that there is safety in numbers. More hatchlings survive when they enter the sea with hundreds of others, as opposed to hatchlings born from a solitary nester.4 5
