Olive ridley turtle is the smallest among all sea turtles. It is grayish green to olive in colour, has a length of 60 to 70 cm and weighs around 50 kg. Unlike other turtles, sea turtles cannot retract their legs and head into their shells. These turtles migrate over thousand kilometers from their feeding ground to the mating ground and the nesting sites. The turtles normally come to nest on beaches from January to March. In 2013, over 5 lakh turtles nested along the coast of Odisha (Nas 1 & Nas 2 islands of Gahirmatha beach) in one week.



The female turtles dig nests and lay around 60 to 120 eggs at a time. The gestation period is has 45 to 50 days. If the eggs were left on the beach, they would face many threats such as getting washed away with the tide or getting poached. Only one in 1000 hatchlings survives to adulthood. The global population of females has been reduced to 8 lakh by 2013.

Olive Ridley turtles are classified as vulnerable by IUCN Red Data Book and also found place in Schedule - I of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (amended 1991). Egg collection is illegal. Between 1993 and 2013, more than 150000 olive ridley turtles were reported dead in Odisha. The turtles either get caught and suffocate in the fishing nets or get killed by the motor blades of the trawler engines. The state government imposed a seven-month fishing ban early Nov 2013, within 20 km of the coast.





Eggs incubated at temperatures of 31 to 32°C will produce only females; eggs incubated at 28°C or less will produce solely males; and incubation temperatures of 29 to 30°C will produce a mixed sex. Most of the hatchlings emerge by May and are dark gray in colour. Hatchlings usually weigh between 12 and 23.3 g.