Olive Ridley Turtle: Daily Current Affairs for UPSC, IAS, UPPSC/UPPCS, BPSC, MPPSC, RPSC & All State PCS Examinations

Olive Ridley Turtle

Why in NEWS ?

  • The Forest Department in Ramanathapuram district Tamil Nadu rescued an adult Olive Ridley turtle that was caught in a fishing net and released it into the Palk Bay at Panaikulam seashore.

About

  • The nesting season for Olive Ridley turtles starts by December.
  • The mating of these turtles happen two months prior to the nesting.
  • So, it is common to find turtles within one km from the shore during this time of the year.
  • It is because of this reason that turtles often get entangled in the fishing net during this period.

The Olive Ridley Turtles

  • These are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.
  • These turtles are carnivores and get their name from their olive colored carapace.
  • They are found in warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.
  • They migrate thousands of kilometers between feeding and mating grounds in the course of a year.
  • They are 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

  • These are placed Vulnerable in IUCN Red List.
  • Appendix I in CITES
  • Schedule I status in Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972