The Probable Cause for Nesting Pattern of Olive Ridley (<i>Lepidochelys olivacea</i>) at Ramnagar Beach, North East Coast of Andaman Island, India

Abstract

The nesting behaviour of sea turtles remains a subject to study, due to their enigmatic pattern of seasonal breeding activities. Over a period of time, several reports have been made in this context associated with the nesting behaviour of the Olive Ridley turtles. In the present study, characteristics of the breeding beach and nesting pattern of Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) at Ramnagar along N-E coast of Andaman Islands were investigated, during the nesting periods 2016-2017. The study area hosts Olive Ridley, the dominant sea turtles with more than 300 individuals nesting each year. For this study, the number of sea turtles visited, nested, the sediment characters, salinity, and temperature were taken. The exposed sandy nesting beach characteristics are prone to varying degrees of morphological changes every day. The results depict that even though similar grain size (Coarse Sand to Fine Sand and Very well sorted to Poorly Sorted), with an ambient incubating temperature, pH and salinity with wide nesting area, the selective nesting in the particular location of the beach identified because of comfortable energy conditions in the waters (1.5 m/s) favours the female turtles to reach the beach at the preferable site of Ramnagar and nest.