Olive Ridleys

March 7, 2023

Context:

Nearly 6.37 lakh Olive Ridley turtles have arrived for mass nesting on the Rushikulya coast this year, setting a new record for the beach in Ganjam district of Odisha.

Image Source: The Hindu

The arrival of turtles is attributed to the emergence of new beaches near the Podampetta area, Berhampur.
Turtles also arrive at Gahirmatha beach in Kendrapara district, which is known as the world’s largest known rookery. 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 Olive Ridley turtles at Gahirmatha, Devi river mouth and Rushikulya.

About Olive Ridley Turtles

Scientific name: Lepidochelys olivacea; also known as the Pacific ridley sea turtle.
Location: Found in warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.
Features:
- One of the smallest sea-turtles on the earth.
- Olive green colour of their shell.
- They can grow up to two-and-a-half feet in length and weigh 30-45 kilograms.
Food: Mainly shrimp, crab, molluscs, fish and crabs.
Known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada (which means ‘arrival by the sea’ in Spanish), where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.
They hatch in 45 to 60 days.