Stomach Contents of Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys Olivacea) Occurring in Gahirmatha, Odisha Coast of India

Behera, Satyaranjan; Tripathy, Basudev; Sivakumar, K.; Choudhury, B. C.

doi:10.1007/s12595-014-0100-0

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…They range >3 million km 2 across this dynamic ocean basin and are thus present in multiple biogeographic regions (Pennington et al, 2006;Olson et al, 2010;Plotkin, 2010). As nomadic opportunistic omnivores, they don't undergo ontogenetic habitat shifts and may feed in both benthic and pelagic habitats (Bjorndal, 1997;NMFS and USFWS, 1998;Robins et al, 2002;Bolten, 2003;Whiting et al, 2007;Behera et al, 2015). Olive ridleys often forage via passive drifting rather than active swimming, meaning they eat within the same food web for many days (Block et al, 2002;Polovina et al, 2003;McMahon et al, 2007;Whiting et al, 2007;Plotkin, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opportunism on the High Seas: Foraging Ecology of Olive Ridley Turtles in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

et al. 2017

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opportunism on the High Seas: Foraging Ecology of Olive Ridley Turtles in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

et al. 2017

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“…Leatherback turtles, which are obligate gelatinous zooplanktivores (Wallace et al ., 2015), forage in vast open-ocean habitats off the coast of Ecuador, Peru and Chile (Shillinger et al , 2008). Olive ridley turtles, which are opportunistic omnivores (Colman et al , 2014; Behera et al , 2015), do not appear to migrate to a specific foraging area but instead wander nomadically in search of food (Plotkin et al , 1995). Consequently, olive ridley turtles have been recorded inhabiting both oceanic and coastal waters depending on inter-annual patterns in food availability (Plotkin, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assortative epibiosis of leatherback, olive ridley and green sea turtles in the Eastern Tropical Pacific

et al. 2016

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Sea turtles host a diverse array of epibionts, yet it is not well understood what factors influence epibiont community composition. To test whether epibiont communities of sea turtles are influenced by the hosts’ nesting or foraging habitats, we characterized the epibiota of leatherback, olive ridley and green turtles nesting at a single location on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. We also compared the epibiota of these turtles to conspecific populations nesting elsewhere in the East Pacific. If epibiont communities are influenced by nesting habitats, we predicted that sympatrically nesting turtles would have comparable epibiont taxa. Alternatively, if epibiont communities are influenced by foraging habitats, we predicted the diversity of epibiont taxa should reflect the type and diversity of the hosts’ foraging habitats. We identified 18 epibiont taxa from 18 leatherback, 19 olive ridley and six green turtles. Epibiont diversity was low on leatherbacks (four taxa), but higher for olive ridley and green turtles (12 and nine epibiont taxa respectively). The epibiont communities of olive ridley and green turtles were not statistically different, but both were different from leatherbacks. In addition, conspecific sea turtles from other nesting locations hosted more similar epibiont communities than sympatrically nesting, non-conspecifics. We conclude that epibiont diversity of nesting sea turtles is partially linked to the diversity of their foraging habitats. We also conclude that the surface properties of the skin and carapace of these turtles may contribute to the uniqueness of leatherback turtle epibiont communities and the similarities between olive ridley and green turtle epibiont communities.

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“…They also feed on jelly fish and other molluscans having toxic glands which hamper the marine ecosystem. Due to this feeding habit Olive turtle plays a vital role in food chain as well as ecological balance of marine ecosystem [2].…”

Section: Food and Feeding Habitatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Conservation Measures for Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys Olivacea) Along Rushikulya Rookery, Ganjam Disrict, Odisha, India

Chattopadhyay¹,

Chetia²,

Dupak³

2018

IJMBR

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Every year, between October and April, Gahirmatha beach in Odisha becomes the nesting ground for Olive Ridley Turtles. These beautiful creatures are an endangered species, and this area is the world's largest known rookery of the marine animals. Over 600,000 turtles come here together for nesting, but this area has not always been the safe haven for hatching the situation exists today. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), Olive Ridley Turtles are classed as a "vulnerable" marine species [1]. They derive their name from their heart-shaped, olive green-coloured shells. This mass nesting, popularly known as 'arribada' (a Spanish term used for en masse laying eggs by turtle species) is a yearly phenomenon. More than 4, 00,000 turtles arrive for nesting each year, each laying around 100-150 eggs in pits dug out instantly just before laying. The eggs, after an incubation period of 45-60 days, are hatched out yielding 60,000,000 hatchlings, which find their way to seas again. Only one in a thousand hatchlings survives. They take 25-30 years to reach maturity, and on attaining maturity, which usually takes 25-30 years the females then return to the same beach where they were born to lay their own eggs. The turtles migrate hundreds of kilometres for mating and nesting in this yearly breeding season, and every effort are initiated to ensure the mission successful. The Odisha government imposed a 7-month ban on fishing from November 2017 to protect the turtles following as the Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1982, and Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Nets are ensconced along the length of the beach to prevent the hatchlings from accidentally heading to the land instead of the sea. The Rushikulya Sea Turtle Protection Committee and The Orissa Marine Resources Conservation Consortium work towards conservation of the Olive Ridley Turtles proactively through formation of monitoring units at nesting sites, conduct regular beach patrols and training of guards and volunteers. They also publish and distribute educational material, conduct field trips and promote exhibitions during beach festivals to sensitize the public on the issue through sculptures and sand art. Many villagers are volunteers who are the go-to persons for fisheries, coast guards, forest departments, biologists, researchers and tourists. and are involved in turtle protection works for decades. They know exactly when the turtles will arrive, the best places to view them, where not to tread to avoid trampling the eggs incubating under the sand and when to expect the hatchlings. May 23, World Turtle Day is celebrated in these villages as 'Turtle ka Birthday,' a reminder of the millions of hatchlings that have made it safely to the water from these shores.

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Stomach Contents of Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys Olivacea) Occurring in Gahirmatha, Odisha Coast of India

Cited by 16 publications

References 14 publications

Opportunism on the High Seas: Foraging Ecology of Olive Ridley Turtles in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

Opportunism on the High Seas: Foraging Ecology of Olive Ridley Turtles in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

Assortative epibiosis of leatherback, olive ridley and green sea turtles in the Eastern Tropical Pacific

Assessment of Conservation Measures for Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys Olivacea) Along Rushikulya Rookery, Ganjam Disrict, Odisha, India

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