Turtle Hatchlings in Vabbinfaru!

On Dec 2008, one of the turtles tagged by the Banyan Tree Maldives Marine Lab team returned to the island and laid six nests over a period of two months. As of 16th Feb, one of the six nests has since hatched and we are eagerly waiting for the others hatchlings to emerge.

In order to monitor the turtles who come to Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru to nest, the Marine Lab team tags each of these occasional ‘visitors’ with a titanium tag. In this latest nesting, the turtle is estimated to be between 50 to 70 years old based on her size – she measures 1.3 metres lengthwise from head to tail, and her shell is about one metre long and 90 cm wide. It is known that sea turtles often return to the same location to lay nests, so it is possible she has laid nests at Vabbinfaru Island in the past. Thus, we are happy to know that this turtle finds the island ideal for her young.
 

Background Information

Sea turtles can get impregnated by multiple males, storing sperm and using it to fertilize different clutches of ova produced over a period of weeks or months. Some large turtles will therefore lay multiple nests, with eggs getting smaller with each nest or numbers of eggs decreasing with each nest.

The sea turtles' reproductive capacity increases with age. They start reproducing when they are between 20 and 30 years old, and lay a nest every 2 to 4 years. After the age of 30, they have the ability to reproduce every year, but typically lay just one nest.

It is only when they are much older, approximately 45 years and above, that they are able to lay multiple nests. However, because they are often hunted by humans when they reach this age or size, such turtles are generally rare and difficult to come by. Hence this occurrence at our resort is unusual and a cause to celebrate.