Record 6.37 lakh Olive Ridley turtles arrive at Odisha’s Rushikulya beach for mass nesting

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

Olive Ridley turtles dig holes on the beach with their front flippers for hours. Subsequently, they use their hind flippers to scoop out sand to create a cavity. They lay dozens of eggs at one go and cover them again with sand. Before sunrise, the turtles return to the sea, leaving behind the eggs, which would hatch after 40-60 days. The hatchlings are expected to emerge from the eggs in the month of April and May.
Turtles also arrive at Gahirmatha beach in Odisha’s Kendrapara district, which is known as the world’s largest known rookery. Besides, Puri and Devi River mouth beaches too host Olive Ridley turtles this time around.
As part of a long-term study, researchers of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) continued tagging of Olive Ridley turtles at three mass nesting sites – Gahirmatha, Devi river mouth, and Rushikulya. The metal tags affixed to turtles are non-corrosive and they do not harm their body. The metal can be removed later. The tags are uniquely numbered containing details such as name of organisation, country code, and email address.