The Sea Turtle
Home
Family
Anatomy
Habitat
Reproduction
Migration
Population
Treads
Sea Turtles
Leatherback
Loggerhead
Kemp's Ridley
Olive's Ridley
Flatback
Hawksbill
Green Sea
Help / Volunteer
How to help?
Projects
Ressources
Ressources
Gift shop
Books
How does the sea turtle reproduce? | |||
| It's very difficult to say exactly when a sea turtle reach sexual maturity. Not only does it vary among species, but even within the same species can it vary. Hawksbills can reach it after just 3 years, where it takes the Green Sea turtle 20-50 years to reach sexual maturity. |  | ||
 | Studies have shown that sexual maturity often is related to carapace size. Despite what many believe a sea turtle cannot retract its head and flippers under its shell as a land turtle can. This makes of obvious vulnerable to attacks from sharks etc. when swimming in the sea. | ||
| For most species both male and females migrate, often thousands of kilometers, to special areas where the courtship takes place. This usually happens several weeks before the nesting season. The courtship places are often close or next to the nesting beaches. | |||
| Copulation takes place in the water and fertilization is internal. In the courtship period two or more males may court a single female. It is possible that through the storage of sperm from one or several males in the oviducts of the females, all clutches of the current nesting season may be fertilized without repeated mating. |  | 1 2 | |
Copyright 2008--201 - www.seaturtlenet.com
All about sea turtles | Sea Turtle
Partner site: Collection of dog training books
All about sea turtles | Sea Turtle
Partner site: Collection of dog training books