About Olive Ridley Turtle:
- It is the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.
- It gets its name from the olive green colouration of its carapace (shell).
- It is best known for its unique mass nesting, called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.
- Distribution of Olive Ridley Turtle
- They are mainly found in the warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans.
- Odisha’s Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary is known as the world’s largest rookery (a colony of breeding animals) of sea turtles.
- Features of Olive Ridley Turtle
- They are solitary, preferring the open ocean.
- Diet: They are omnivorous, meaning they feed on both plants and animals.
- These turtles spend their entire lives in the ocean, and migrate thousands of kilometers between feeding and mating grounds in the course of a year.
- Conservation Status of Olive Ridley Turtle
- IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
- CITES: Appendix I
- Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule 1.
