Olive Ridley female turtles have started moving to the Gahirmatha beach in the Kendrapara district in Odisha. They are arriving at the beach to lay eggs which is described as the phenomenon called ‘arribada’.

Mass Nesting

Arribada is a Spanish term which describes the unique natural heritage of these marine species which converge on the nesting ground to lay eggs. The annual mass nesting of the marine species started on March 10, 2021 in Nasi-2 beach of Gahirmatha nesting ground. Around 2,000 turtles had turned up to lay eggs on ground. The mass nesting process will continue for at least 10 days. Usually, around 7.30 lakh Olive Ridley turtles were gathered for the mass nesting in the year 2019-2020.

Gahirmatha Beach

It is a beach located in the state of Odisha. It separates the Bhitarkanika Mangroves from Bay of Bengal. This beach is the most important nesting beach for olive ridley sea turtles in the world. It is a part of the Gahirmatha Marine Wildlife Sanctuary. It is the only marine wildlife sanctuary in Odisha.

Olive Ridley Sea Turtle

The scientific name of the turtle is Lepidochelys olivacea. It is also known as the Pacific Ridley sea turtle. The turtle belongs to the family Cheloniidae. It is the second-smallest known species across the world. The species is also the most abundant of all the sea turtles across the world. It is found in the warm and tropical waters especially in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is also found in the warm waters of Atlantic Ocean. Olive Ridley turtle and the Kemp’s ridley turtle are known for their unique mass nesting sites which are called as arribadas.

Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle

It is also called Atlantic Ridley sea turtle. The turtle is the rarest species of sea turtle and also the most endangered species of sea turtles across the world.