Olive Ridley

Olive Ridley

Part of: Prelims and GS-III – Conservation

Context Scientists have resumed tagging of Olive Ridley turtles at Rushikulya rookery along the Odisha coast 

Key takeaways 

• Researchers of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) are carrying out tagging of the Olive Ridleys at three mass nesting sites — Gahirmatha, Devi River mouth and Rushikulya.
• The tagging would help them identify the migration path and places visited by the marine reptiles after congregation and nesting.
• The study would also reveal the inter-rookery movement of turtles in Odisha. 
• The metal tags affixed to turtles are non-corrosive and they do not harm their body. 
• The tags are uniquely numbered containing details such as the name of the organisation, country-code and email address.

About Olive Ridley

• The Olive Ridley sea turtle is the most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.
• It is found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
• It is best known for their unique mass nesting called arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.
• IUCN status: Vulnerable.