Smallest among the world's sea turtles, the Olive Ridley measures about 2 feet in length, with weights averaging about 45 kg. The Olive Ridley is a generalized, opportunistic feeder and algae, fish, snails, crabs, shrimp, jelly fish and lobsters are eaten. The Olive Ridley is widely distributed in the tropics and sub-tropics, preferring mainland nesting beaches especially those backed by Mangrove vegetation. Nesting takes place generally at night. Anywhere between 50 and 200 eggs are laid in a flask shaped nest that is laboriously excavated on the beach.
Eggs take around seven weeks to hatch.
The matchbox- sized hatchlings emerge a day or two later after a concerted effort in pushing the overhead sand out of the way. They head directly for the sea and return, given their survival, to the same beach to nest in turn. Though the most abundant of all sea turtles, the Olive Ridley is an endangered species today. Over the past few decades sea turtle nesting has declined drastically possibly due to a combination of habitat loss, poaching of eggs and adults, incidental death in fishing trawlers and other human activities. If this present trend continues, this ancient mariner will soon disappear from our coast.