Olive Ridley Turtles

Why in news?

• Researchers of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) are carrying out tagging of Olive Ridley turtles at three mass nesting sites – Gahirmatha, Devi River mouth and Rushikulya.
• It would help in identifying the migration path and places visited by the marine reptiles after congregation and nesting.

About Olive Ridley Turtles:

• The species is the second-smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world
• They are mainly found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, but also in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
• The olive ridley is predominantly carnivorous.
• Their habitat are typically within 15 km of mainland shores in protected, relatively shallow marine waters. They are occasionally found in open waters.

Mass nesting:

• These turtles, are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.
• The coast of Orissa in India is the largest mass nesting site for the Olive-ridley and has three arribada beaches at Gahirmatha, the mouth of the Devi river, and in Rushikulya, where about 1 lakh nests are found annually.
• Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary (a part of the Bhitarkanika National Park) is the world's largest nesting beach for these turtles.
• More recently, a new mass nesting site has been discovered in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, with more than 5,000 nests reported in a season.

Conservation Issues

• Olive-ridleys face serious threats across their migratory route, habitat, and nesting beaches, due to human activities such as turtle unfriendly fishing practices, development and exploitation of nesting beaches for ports, and tourist centers, poaching for meat shell, leather, etc.
• International trade in these turtles and their products is banned under CITES Appendix I.
• The species is recognized as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red list.
• Listed in schedule I of Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972

PRACTICE QUESTION:

With reference to ‘Olive ridley turtles’, consider the following statements:

1. They are most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world

2. They are mainly found in warm and tropical waters

3. They are herbivorous

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 2 only

(d) 1,2 and 3

Answer