Olive Ridley turtles , Rushikulya river

Context : Recently, experts reported that suitable climatic and beach conditions are the reasons for the early mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles.

About Olive Ridley turtles:

• The Olive ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.
• They are found to be inhabiting the warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans.
• They are carnivores and feed mainly on jellyfish, shrimp, snails, crabs, molluscs, and a variety of fish and their eggs.
• The males and females grow to the same size.
• These turtles, along with their cousin the Kemps ridley turtle, are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.
• The coast of Orissa in India is the largest mass nesting site for the Olive-ridley, followed by the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica.
• The species is recognized as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red list.
• They lie in Scheduled 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
• They are in Appendix I of the CITES.

About Rushikulya river :

• It is one of the major rivers in Odisha and covers the entire catchment area in the districts of Kandhamal and Ganjam.
• The Rushikulya originates at an elevation of about 1000 meters from the Daringbadi hills of the Eastern Ghats.
• The tributaries of the Rushikulya River are Dhanei, Badanadi, and Baghua.
• It does not have any delta in its mouth region.
• This river is extremely rich in mineral wealth and some of the prime ones include-Lime stone, sand talc, grinding materials, black sand, and clay.
• This is one of the remote areas for mass nesting and is regarded as a site of Ridley Olive sea turtles.

Source:        DOWN TO EARTH

Previous Year Questions

Q.1)  Consider the following pairs: (2022)

Wetland/Lake:                      Location

1. Hokera Wetland                    Punjab
2. Renuka Wetland                   Himachal Pradesh
3. Rudrasagar Lake                  Tripura
4. Sasthamkotta                       Tamil Nadu

How many pairs given above are correctly matched?

1. Only one pair
2. Only two pairs
3. Only three pairs
4. All four pairs

Q.2)  Which of the following is a filter feeder? (2022)

1. Catfish
2. Octopus
3. Oyster
4. Pelican