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2. THE ADVENTURE OF LIFE
The eggs almost always hatch at night, and the newborn turtles use the glow of the horizon to guide them to the sea. However, a strong rain, causing the sand to cool down, may lead to birth during the day.
The hatchlings are small and fragile, approximately two inches long. Many of them are eaten by crabs, sea birds, octopuses and mainly fishes; others die naturally of hunger or diseases. One or two in every thousand baby turtles reach adult life. However, when adults, they are not threatened by any animal, except men, sharks and killer whales.
The newborn turtles disappear for about 14 months - researchers call it "the lost year" - because there is hardly any information about what happens to them during that period. It is believed that they float among algae or wander the high seas. After a year, they may be seen in the reefs and beaches on the coast, looking for food. Sea turtles are usually omnivorous, even though there is one species which feeds only on algae on their first year of life, and another that prefers jelly-like food such as jellyfish. It is only when they reach adult life that the differences between sexes become clear. The tail of the male, for example, becomes thicker, even thicker than the hind flippers.
Turtles gain a great deal of weight. An average newborn leatherback turtle weighs one ounce, and the same turtle, when adult, weighs as much as 1,500 pounds (700 kilos). As a consequence, they have to move frequently, because of their eating needs. When adult, they almost always go back to the beach where they were born, in order to nest, and every time they return, they lay eggs close to where they did before.
1. Breeding
3. Threats