Between the months of January and March, female Olive Ridleys come ashore at night to lay their eggs. This is quite a problem for them, as a turtle’s front flippers enable it to swim gracefully and effortlessly, but are not very useful for moving on land. The turtle has to haul itself laboriously onto the beach. Then it chooses a spot well away from the high tide line. There, it scoops out a nest cavity, 45 cms deep, into which it lays about 100 eggs. Then it fills the cavity and hides the nest with the sand. Finally, it returns to the sea, leaving the eggs to incubate under the warmth of the sun.
