Source: TH
Context: Carcasses of Olive Ridley turtles continue to wash ashore along the Visakhapatnam coast during their breeding season. Experts attribute the deaths to marine pollution and accidental entanglement in fishing trawlers.
About Olive Ridley Turtles:
- Smallest and Most Abundant: They are the smallest and most abundant sea turtles globally.
- Name Origin: Lepidochelys olivacea.
- Unique Nesting (Arribada): Known for mass nesting, thousands of females lay eggs simultaneously on the same beach.
- Geographic Distribution: Found in the warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.
- Odisha’s Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary is the world’s largest rookery.
- Physical Features: Adults measure 62-70 cm, weigh 35-45 kg, and have paddle-like flippers with one or two claws.
- Diet and Habitat: They are omnivorous and solitary, spending most of their lives in the open ocean.
- Migration: Travel thousands of kilometers annually between feeding and mating grounds.
- Conservation Status:
- IUCN Red List:
- Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule 1 (highest protection in India).
- CITES: Appendix I (international trade ban).
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