10 Things to Know About Olive Ridley Turtles

The following are the 10 things you must know about the Olive Ridley turtles:

1. Olive Ridley Turtles are the smallest of the sea turtles in the world.
2. They are so-called because of their olive-coloured shell which is called Carapace.
3. Their scientific name is Lepidochelys olivacea. 
4. They eat shrimps, crabs, molluscs and so on in the ocean.
5. They have a habit of migrating thousands of kilometers in the open ocean.
6. The female Olive Ridley turtles have the habit of returning to and nesting in the same beach. 
7. The mass nesting of thousands of female Olive Ridley turtles is called Arribada, which is a Spanish word meaning mass arrival. 
8. Gahirmatha in Orissa, India has been reported as the world’s largest Olive Ridley turtle rookery.
9. Olive Ridley turtles are listed as a vulnerable species by the IUCN Red List.
10. They are threatened by trawling ships in the ocean and destruction of habitat for port and tourist projects.

Daily Environment Roundup - April 15

"...Their (elephants) dung is usually packed with seeds. Elephants disperse more seeds of more species for longer distances than any other animal, thereby planting the trees of the future," a quote from an Independent newspaper's story on the African nation Malawi's decision to burn four tons of ivory in a bid to save wildlife.

Pollution in Yangtze River forces China to relocate a few of the world's only freshwater porpoise, Yangtze finless porpoise, to a secure habitat.

A bird no larger than a cricket ball could derail plans to build Adani’s plans for the $16.5 billion Carmichael mine, says news.com.au

A review of The Human Age,’ by Diane Ackerman in the New York Times.

David Suzuki: We can’t afford to waste water

The Price of Damming Tibet’s Rivers

US submits plans to submit to the United Nations a plan to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 26 to 28 percent by 2025.

A National Geographic report says "...France approved a law last week that requires the roofs of new commercial buildings be covered—at least in part—by either solar panels or plants." This is a great move!

A study in Finland shows that a steroid, 17β-trenbolone, which is used on livestock to increase muscle growth, alters the reproductive behaviour in male guppy fish.

WHO Report Links Weed Killer Ingredient Glyphosate to Cancer Risk, says NBC News.

India's National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the University Grants Commission (UGC) to monitor the undergraduate environmental studies courses and their syllabus. 

A new study published in the Human Reproduction journal says consumption of fruits and vegetables with high levels of pesticide residues was associated with a lower total sperm count. 

BOOKS

New Stieg Larsson book title and cover revealed. It will be called The Girl in the Spider's Web, will be written by David Lagercrantz, says the Independent newspaper.