NEWS

Record nesting of Olive Ridley turtles noticed in Rishikulya

DETAILS

Olive ridley turtles

• Smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world
• Get their name from their olive colored carapace
• Coast of Odisha in India is their largest mass nesting site
• Carnivores
• Found in warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.
• Migrate thousands of kilometers between feeding and mating grounds in the course of a year.
• Best known for their unique mass nesting called ARRIBADA, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs. They lay their eggs over a period of five to seven days in conical nests about one and a half feet deep which they dig with their hind flippers.
• Protection Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
  • CITES: Appendix I
  • Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I