Marine Biology 101 – The life cycle of the sea turtle

 

Nature is a wonderful thing, simply because of the allure of how natural forces come together to produce something beautiful. In this blog, Paul M Willette talks about the life cycle of the sea turtle. 

Image source: youtube.com

A pregnant sea turtle spends its life on an island in anticipation of the season for laying eggs. The turtle gently prepares her nest of sand, where she lays up to over a hundred eggs. After laying these eggs, she covers them up in sand, which serves as a protected space with just the right temperature conducive to hatching. When the eggs hatch, it does not take very long before the hatchlings head to the ocean. This is one of the most mysterious displays of instinct, which fascinates many biologists to this day, mentions Paul M Willette.

The long march from the shore to the open sea is the most critical mile in the life of a baby turtle, as this is where it places itself in the hands of fate. It may end up in the jaws of a hungry seagull out to have its fill of food, or even the claws of some smaller predator like a crab. The ones who make it to the ocean begin their fight for survival in the water. 

Image source: nature.org

As it reaches adulthood, the sea turtle has overcome many other obstacles, and it will have outgrown predatory fish much bigger in size compared to it once upon a time. The baby turtle reaches a certain maturity that allows it to reproduce.

From here, the mating season begins. Once a male and a female turtle choose to mate, the next generation of turtles is created. The male runs off to prospect on other females, while its partner sets on an individual journey, mentions Paul M Willette. The pregnant female goes back, uncannily, to the exact island where she was hatched to begin with. The turtle’s life cycle begins anew.