Tortoise olivâtre

The tortoise olivâtre or bastard tortoise ( Lepidochelys olivacea ) is one of the smallest species of marine tortoises. It owes its name with the color olive of its Carapace.

Description

Appearance

The Tortoise of Kemp and it are the smallest species of tortoise marinades and measure between 58 and 70 cm and a weight of approximately 50 kg.

Its backing is bent rather (the elevated area nuchale) that of the tortoise of Kemp. The backing is greenish with ocher brown. The edges are slightly turned over.

Reproduction

Sexual maturity is reached towards 7-9 years. The layings last from 20 to 40 minutes. This species lays some times alone. The nest is dug on 50 to 60 cm of depth. Each laying produces between 30 and 170 eggs. The female lays from 1 to 3 times by intervals from 17 to 29 days during one season. Incubation lasts between 46 and 62 days according to the temperature of the ground.

Chorology

One finds it everywhere in intertropical water. However, they do not have much place laying on. One of most important, in India is threatened by industrialization. Although the the United States declared the species as in danger, their population decreases in North Atlantic. The populations stagnate have are in light increase in the Pacific Ocean. The most important sites of India, in the State of Orissa are the beaches of Devi, Rushikulya and Gahirmatha. This last site is seriously threatened by industrialization.

Whereas it was thought that they did not reproduce in Red Sea, one discovered several sites of nesting in the area of the Érythrée ^,.

Systematic

The relative evolutionary independent groups are described below by philogénie according to Hirayama, 1997,1998, Lapparent de Broin, 2000, and Parham, 2005:

Tortoise olivâtre and the Man

Like all the marine tortoises, she is mainly threatened by the human activities and the hunting which she undergoes. Trawling being particularly mortal. On the American coasts, the Device of exclusion of the tortoises limit accidental catches by the trawlers. However the collecting of eggs in these areas, in particular in Central America is still very important.

Several projects are carried out by WWF in India and South America to limit the accidental catches and to as well protect the sites from nesting in India as in South America.

See too

External references

External bonds

Greenpeace India Fights Greenpeace to save the beach of laying of the tortoises olivâtres in Orissa.

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