Gahirmatha Sanctuary: Lakhs Of Olive Ridley Hatchlings Emerge From Eggshells In Nasi 2 Beach

Kendrapara (Odisha), May 10: Not withstanding the adverse weather due to the severe cyclonic storm “Asani “, lakhs of endangered Olive Ridley sea turtle hatchlings have emerged from the eggshells at the mass nesting sites of Nasi-2 in Gahirmatha marine sanctuary on Tuesday.

The emergence of Olive Ridley hatchlings has marked the culmination of the annual rendezvous of these marine species, DFO of Rajnagar Mangrove( forest )and wildlife division Jangyadutta Pati said.

The hatchlings of endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles have started emerging on Tuesday morning at the tranquil sandy nesting ground at Nasi-2, located near the establishment of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at Wheeler’s Island, under the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary.

The hatchlings from eggshells are expected to continue for at least four more days. The babies broke out of the eggshells and wandered around the sandy beach for nearly an hour before making their way to swirling seawater.

Sources said as many as 5,01,157 Olive Ridley sea turtles reported enmass to the golden beach of Nasi-2 within Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary and laid eggs within a span of three days from last March 25 to March 28. Due to multi-layering at Nasi-2, more than 10 per cent of laid eggs were destroyed in some of the segments during the mass nesting as turtles were laying eggs on the same spot, by digging the earth with its flipper and destroying the laid eggs, where eggs were laid earlier by turtles.

Later, the predators like crows and seagulls also destroyed some percentages of eggs laid in the nest of sandy beaches. The DFO said the severe cyclonic storm Asani will not create a major problem for hatchlings to emerge from pits at the nesting ground nor does it create problems for the hatchlings to scurry to the seawater. The female olive Ridley sea turtles generally lay 100- 120 eggs in a go. They lay their eggs at midnight in 45 centimetres pits, and they dig 2-3 foot long pits to lay eggs with their rear flippers. After laying the eggs in the pits, the female turtles cover the nests with sand and return to the sea in a zigzag manner to confuse predators about the location of the nests.

Hatchlings emerge from the laid eggs after 45-55 days and find their way to the sea creating a cacophony, Pati said. Forest personnel have been deployed on the beach to protect and guard the hatchlings from predators and to pave the way for the marine turtles to crawl to the sea, Ranger of Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary Debashis Bhoi, said.

Forest officials said in a nest, most of the hatchlings coming from the upper eggs of a nest are generally male whereas the lower part of the eggs emerge as female. Eggs exposed from minimum temperature to high temperature become males. Once hatched, the turtles dig their way to the surface and scurry to the ocean. It is believed by some that imprinting on the earth’s magnetic field may occur upon their emergence from the sand.

This imprinting is believed to guide the hatchlings back to the same breeding areas in adulthood. If the hatchlings reach the ocean successfully, they will spend the next several years dispersing in ocean currents they will associate with sargassum rafts and floating debris, which provide them with food and shelter, the DFO said.

It is one of Nature’s rare phenomena where babies grow without their mothers. The endangered species mortality rate is so high that one egg out of every 1000 eggs laid, ultimately hatches and the hatchlings survive to become an adult Olive Ridley, he said. Although the species are very slow-moving on land, they swim very quickly in water and take advantage of ocean currents to assist their migration. Unlike their land-based cousins, marine turtles have streamlined shells and paddle-like flippers that can propel them at speed of up to 50 km per hour. Bright lights generally disorient the turtle hatchlings going to the sea.

As bright lights generally disorient the turtle hatchlings going to the sea, the authority of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at Wheeler’s Island has been asked to mask the bright light coming from the Defence organization to the sea to provide a congenial atmosphere for the baby turtles to crawl into the seawater, the DFO said.