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turtle mating season
Green turtles are known to migrate long distances
in-between their chosen feeding sites and the isolated islands and
beaches from which they were hatched. Some C. mydas are known to swim
distances of greater than 2,600 kilometers to reach their spawning
grounds. Mature turtles will often return to the same exact beach from
which they hatched from. Individual female green turtles usually mate
every two to four years. Males on the other hand, are known to make the
trip to their breeding areas every year.[10] As with many species that
are found across a wide range of latitudes, mating seasons vary between
populations. For Chelonia mydas in the Caribbean, mating season is from
June to September.[2] Hawaiian green turtles nest from April to
November.[citation needed] In the tropics, green turtles are known to
nest throughout the year, with some subpopulations preferring
particular times of the year. In Pakistan, Indian Ocean C. mydas nest
all year-round but prefer to nest during the months of July and
December.
Green turtles reproduce in the typical way that
marine turtles do so. After a lengthy mating ritual in the water, the
females haul themselves onto the beach above the high tide line. Upon
reaching a suitable nesting site, the gravid female then digs a hole
with her hind flippers and deposits a number of eggs in the nest. The
number of eggs laid per litter depends on the age of the female and
differs from species to species, but C. mydas clutches range between
100 to 200 eggs. After laying eggs, the female then covers the nest
with sand and returns to the sea. |
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