Sex
Chelonia agassizii, more commonly known as the Eastern Pacific green turtle, has a fascinating and intricate mating process that includes wooing, competition, and lengthy migrations to designated breeding areas. In order to effectively manage and protect this species, it is essential to comprehend this process.
In the shallow coastal regions where the females will deposit their eggs, mating usually takes place close to the beaches where the nesting takes place. Typically, these nesting sites are situated close to the beaches where the turtles were born. For Black Sea Turtles in the Eastern Pacific, the nesting season typically spans from the end of autumn until the beginning of winter, and the time of mating is often coordinated with this period.
The complex activities of courtship and mating include both vocal and physical displays, as well as tactile interactions. As a show of interest, males will frequently approach females and playfully nuzzle, bite, or brush their flippers against them. Gaining the female's approval and assisting successful mating are both aided by this wooing practice. During mating, males grab the ladies' shells with the unique claws on their front flippers.
Males may engage in fierce competition with one another for the attention of females. Aggressive interactions and shows of dominance may occur when many males compete for a single female. The odds of a guy getting a partner are higher for the strongest and most persistent among them. The population's health and longevity are both improved by this natural selection process, which allows only the strongest people to carry their genes on.
Mating takes place in the water, usually at or near the surface, when a female accepts a male. Grasping the female's carapace with his front flippers, the male mounts her from behind. The male distributes his sperm to the female during copulation, which might last for many hours. It is possible for a single mating to fertilize many clutches of eggs since females may retain sperm for months.
Once a female has mated, she will start to lay eggs and get ready to build a nest. In order to lay their eggs, they leave their feeding areas and travel hundreds of kilometers to designated beaches. The females go to the nesting location, often at night, and place their eggs in nests that they have painstakingly built in the sand. During a nesting season, a single female may lay anything from fifty to two hundred eggs in a single clutch.
When a female turtle lays her eggs, she uses her rear flippers to create a deep, flask-shaped hole on the beach. Afterwards, she carefully covers the eggs with sand and conceals the nest to prevent predators from finding it. The fertilized eggs take 45–70 days to hatch, and the sex of the offspring is determined by the sand's temperature. The reproductive rate of females is higher in warmer climates while the reproductive rate of men is lower in colder ones.