Q: What determines the sex of sea turtle hatchlings?
A: The temperature inside the egg during incubation determines the sex of sea turtle hatchlings.
Q: At what temperature are only male hatchlings produced?
A: Only male hatchlings are produced when the eggs develop at temperatures between 27ËšC and 28ËšC.
Q: At what temperature are only female hatchlings produced?
A: Only female hatchlings are produced at a temperature of 30ËšC.
Q: When do female Olive Ridleys come ashore to lay their eggs?
A: Female Olive Ridleys come ashore to lay their eggs between January and March.
Q: How deep is the nest cavity that the turtle digs?
A: The turtle digs a nest cavity that is approximately 45 cm deep.
Q: What do the hatchlings use to open their eggshells?
A: Hatchlings use a tiny “egg-tooth” at the tip of their snouts to open their eggshells.
Q: What determines the sex of the turtle embryos while they are growing?
A: The temperature inside the egg during incubation determines the sex of the turtle embryos.
Section-III
Choose the correct answers. You may choose more than one answer if needed.
1. The ___________________ is a biological relative of tortoises.
a. sea turtle
b. fish
c. reptile
2. In India’s coastal waters we can see a species of ___________________.
a. tortoises
b. sea turtles
c. dolphin
Sea turtles come to the shore to___________________.
a. visit their birth place
b. lay eggs
c. go back to sea
4. It is a problem for sea turtles to come ashore because ___________________.
a. they find it difficult to walk on sand
b. they don’t know their way to the shore
c. animals and people hunt them
5. A turtle’s flippers help it to ___________________.
a. swim
b. dig a nest
c. climb
6. A sea turtle camouflages its nest by tossing sand on it to ___________________.
a. hide its eggs from predators
b. incubate eggs in the warmth of the sun
c. keep the hatchlings safe
Fill in the blanks with words that convey the correct meaning of the sentences.
1. Tiny hatchlings fall _________ (pray / prey) to many predators.
2. Sea turtles live their _________ (hole / whole) life in the sea .
3. The turtles come ashore only during the _________ (night / knight).
4. The predators follow the _________ (sent / scent) of the turtles to eat their eggs.
5. The female turtles lay eggs and go back to the _________ (see / sea).
