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New Indian Express
24-04-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Olive Ridley hatchlings begin journey to sea at Odisha's Gahimatha
KENDRAPARA: Millions of Olive Ridley baby turtles began emerging from the pits at the Nasi-1, Nasi-2, and Eakakulanasi islands of Bhitarkanika's Gahirmatha marine sanctuary here on Tuesday night. The baby turtles were seen starting their journey towards the sea. The Olive Ridley turtles finished their five-day long mass nesting on these islands from March 5 to 10 March during which 60,6,933 female turtles had laid eggs. A female turtle lays around 80 t0 100 eggs and returns to the sea, never visiting her nest again to take care of the eggs or hatchlings, said forest range officer of Gahirmatha Kapil Pradhan. The female turtles dig pits on the sand, lay their eggs and cover them with sand before returning to the sea. The eggs incubate for 45 to 50 days after which the two-inch baby turtles hatch from it. They emerge in group during the night and scurry down the beach into the sea water. Pradhan said that to prevent turtle hatchlings from disorienting towards land, and the nearby mangrove forest instead of the sea, the six km long nesting beach was fenced. Forest guards and locals have been deployed to prevent dogs, jackals, birds and other animals from killing the baby turtles. Bright lights from the Missile Test Range at Abdul Kalam Island were also masked during the period to ensure safe passage of the hatchlings towards the sea. The mortality rate of baby turtles in the sea is high, as out of 1,000 hatchlings, only one survives to become an adult. On reaching the age of 20 years, these turtles come back to the same beach for mating and laying eggs where they were born.
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Turtle hatchlings emerge from eggs at Gahirmatha
1 2 3 4 5 6 Kendrapada: Millions of Olive Ridley turtles started emerging from their nests Tuesday night at Gahirmatha marine sanctuary , the world's largest rookery in Kendrapada district. The mass hatching took place across Nasi-1, Nasi-2, and Eakakulanasi islands within Bhitarkanika National Park, following a successful nesting season that saw 606,933 turtles laying eggs between March 5 to 10. "A female turtle typically lays 80 to 100 eggs," said Kapil Pradhan, forest range officer of Gahirmatha. The eggs incubate in the warm sand for 40 to 45 days before the two-inch hatchlings emerge under the cover of darkness. To protect the vulnerable hatchlings, authorities have implemented several safety measures. "We've fenced the 6-km nesting beach to prevent the hatchlings from wandering towards land or nearby mangrove forests instead of the sea," Pradhan said. Forest guards and locals have been deployed to ward off predators such as dogs, jackals, and birds. Also, defence personnel at the nearby Abdul Kalam Island missile testing range have masked bright lights that could disorient the hatchlings. Secretary of Gahirmatha Marine Turtles and Mangrove Conservation Society Hemant Rout said the undisturbed nests typically have a 90 per cent success rate while those affected by human or animal interference may drop to 25 per cent or lower. "The survival rate is extremely low — only one in a thousand hatchlings survives till adulthood. Those that survive will return to this very beach in about 20 years to mate and lay eggs, guided by Earth's magnetic field," Rout added.
