Olive Ridley Turtles:
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Olive Ridley turtle is the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtle found in the world.
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It gets its name from its olive coloured carapace, which is heart-shaped and rounded.
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It is found in warm waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans.
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It spends entire lives in the ocean and migrates thousands of kilometres between feeding and mating grounds in the course of a year.
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It is classified as Vulnerable in IUCN Red List and is listed in Appendix I of CITES.
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In India, it is protected under Wildlife (Protection) Act.
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Though found in abundance, their numbers have been declining over the past few years.
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Conservation of Olive Ridley turtles is done in the Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS),Andhra Pradesh.
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Members of the Yanadi tribe are directly involved in the conservation bid.
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They are best known for their behaviour of synchronized nesting in mass numbers.
Breeding Season:
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It commences its journey from Indian Ocean towards Bay of Bengal during their mating season in October and November every year.
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A single female can lay up to 100 to 150 eggs in a pit dug on the beaches.
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Six weeks later these eggs hatches and the newly hatched turtles start the journey to their Indian Ocean habitat.
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The destination for majority of the turtles for laying egg is Gahirmatha in Odisha.
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The sandy stretches of Hope Island of the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary also have turned into a breeding area