ENDANGERED SPECIES OF ODISHA

By- Daksh Devansh

 Kingdom: Animalia

OLIVE RIDLEY TURTLE Class:

Order:
Reptilia
Testudines

Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Chelonioidea
 The olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), Family: Cheloniidae
also known commonly as the Pacific ridley sea turtle,
Genus: Lepidochelys
is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae. The
Species: L. olivacea
species is the second-smallest and most abundant of
all sea turtles found in the world. Olivacea is found
in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific
and Indian Oceans, but also in the warm waters of
the Atlantic Ocean.
HABITAT OF OLIVE
RIDLEYS
 Most observations are typically within 15 km of mainland shores
in protected, relatively shallow marine waters (22–55 m deep).
Olive ridleys are occasionally found in open waters. Olive
ridleys are globally distributed in the tropical regions of the
Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. In the Atlantic Ocean, they
are found along the coasts of West Africa and South America. In
the Eastern Pacific, they occur from Southern California to
Northern Chile.
BEHAVIOR OF OLIVE
RIDLEYS
 Olive ridley turtles are best known for their behavior of
synchronized nesting in mass numbers, termed arribadas.
Females return to the same beach from where they hatched, to lay
their eggs. They lay their eggs in conical nests about 1.5 ft deep,
which they laboriously dig with their hind flippers. In the Indian
Ocean, the majority of olive ridleys nest in two or three large
groups near Gahirmatha in Odisha. The coast of Odisha in India
is one of the largest mass nesting sites for the olive ridley, along
with the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica.
FOOD DIET OF OLIVE
RIDLEYS
 The olive ridley is predominantly carnivorous, especially in
immature stages of its lifecycle. Animal prey consists of
protochordates or invertebrates, which can be caught in shallow
marine waters or estuarine habitats. Common prey
include jellyfish, tunicates, sea urchins, bryozoans, bivalves,
snails, shrimp, crabs, rock lobsters, and sipunculid worms.
Additionally, consumption of jellyfish and both adult fish
(e.g. Sphoeroides) and fish eggs may be indicative of pelagic
(open ocean) feeding.
THREATS FOR OLIVE
RIDLEYS
 Known predators of olive ridley eggs include raccoons, coyotes,
feral dogs and pigs, opossums, coatimundi, caimans, ghost crabs,
and the sunbeam snake. Hatchlings are preyed upon as they travel
across the beach to the water by vultures, frigate birds,
crabs, raccoons, coyotes, iguanas, and snakes. In the water,
hatchling predators most likely include oceanic fishes, sharks,
and crocodiles. Adults have relatively few known predators, other
than sharks, and killer whales are responsible for occasional
attacks. On land, nesting females may be attacked by jaguars.
ACTIONS TO SAVE THE SPECIES
 The olive ridley is classified as vulnerable according to
the IUCN. These listings were largely responsible for halting the
large-scale commercial exploitation and trade of olive ridley
skins. The CMS and the IAC for the Protection and Conservation
of Sea Turtles have also provided olive ridleys with protection,
leading to increased conservation and management for this
marine turtle.Another major project in India involved in
preserving the olive ridley sea turtle population was carried out,
where the wildlife team collected 10,000 eggs along the Marina
coast, of which 8,834 hatchlings were successfully released into
the sea.
THANK YOU