Olive Ridley Turtles – UPSC Notes

UPSC prelims exam mainly focuses on the species and its family. To crack the exam effectively., those candidates who are preparing g for the exam should understand well about the species and its family. This article will help you to know more about the Olive Ridley Turtles. Olive Ridley is the most miniature sea turtle of all in India. The mass nesting of the million turtles is found to be missing from the year 2021 onwards. Thus, the Olive Ridley Turtles gain a special space in the news nowadays. The Olive Ridley Turtles residing in the Rushikulya river mouth in the Ganjam district of Odisha were found missing. A lot of research is recently been conducted to find the source of the missing turtles.

The Olive Ridley Turtles are mainly found in the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean. The Olive Ridley Turtles are usually being found in the Arribada region. The female turtles lay eggs in the same place and the mass nesting of the Olive Ridley Turtles is known as Arribada. Olive Ridley Turtles’ Status on IUCN Red List is vulnerable. Mass extinction is a threat to the ecosystem.

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The size of the female and the male Olive Ridley turtles is the same. So, it is difficult to distinguish between the two.  The jellyfish, shrimp, snails, crabs, mollusks, varied variety of fishes, and their eggs are the major food of the Olive Ridley Turtles as they are carnivorous species. The major and the largest nestling spaces of the Olive Ridley Turtles are the Dhamra River, Rushikulya River, Odisha Coast, and the Devi River.

Olive Ridley Turtle Mass Nesting in India

The World’s largest nesting ground of the  Olive Ridley Turtles in India is located on the  Gahirmatha beach off the Bay of Bengal coast in Kendrapara district. A wide variety of turtle families can be seen in this region. They are regarded as the smallest sea turtles and the first time mass nesting was discovered by scientists in the year 1974.  The location was

Gahirmatha rookery which is nearest to the mouth of the Brahmani-Baitarani (Dhamra) River. In 1981, a second mass nesting was found at the Devi River mouth. In 1994, the third mass nesting happened at Rushikulya river mouth. Usually, the Olive Ridley Turtle gathers together at the coast of the Orissa during November and December and can be seen as staying up to March and April for nesting. The Olive Ridley Turtle lays almost 140 eggs at a time. The adult female turtle is so capable to lay 100-140 eggs at a time.

The Odisha Coast is known for the best nesting beaches around the mouth of the river. The deltaic areas with sand pits are the best suitable environment for the laying of the eggs. They chose specific latitudes for the proper nesting. A latitude of around 25 degrees beech is what they prefer usually to lay eggs. They sense magneto field around and this is the reason why they are called so picky. The sea currents, temperature, seasons and moon, the sun’s position, surface winds, etc are responsible for the behavior of the Olive Ridley turtles. the eggs will be left by the adult turtles after the hatching. The adult turtles leave the place and the young ones find their resources to feed themselves alone.

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Olive Ridley Conservation in India

Olive Ridleys in India are discovered from the Andamans, Lakshadweep,  Gujarat coast, Odisha, and Bengal. The Olive Ridley Turtles are capable of journeying around 9000 km. from Australia to India. The threats faced by the Olive Ridley Turtles are high. They can be the Failure or conversion of the nesting coasts due to the Casuarina plantation. The next and major problem is Fishing by using gill nets and the consequence of fishing bases at the possible nesting areas and breeding locations. The presence of the strong illuminations distracts the female turtles and this will cause the loss of eth nestling areas. The vessel movement at a high-speed rate is another cause that can directly or indirectly disturb the mating process.  The predators also pose a threat to the hatchlings and the female turtles who wish to lay eggs.  The wildlife protection act 1972 takes the best possible legal opportunity to protect the Olive Ridley Turtles.

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