Olive Ridley Turtles at Orissa

The largest nesting site in the world for Olive Ridley turtles is Garimatha,Orissa. Every year lakhs of adult females, return after decades, to lay eggs on the very same beach they were hatched. Hatching happens on full moon nights, when the tide reaches furthest.

The female turtles emerge from the sea and paddle across the sand finding an empty spot to dig and lay their eggs...After sixty days the eggs hatch and the hatchlings begin their perilous journey to the sea. Often the eggs and hatchlings are picked up by natural predators- dogs, birds, crabs and many young turtles perish in the sea itself. Eventually few out of thousands survive to adulthood, only to repeat the same cycle all over again

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