Environmental News Network - Not All in One Basket: Loggerhead Sea Turtles Lay Eggs in Multiple Locations to Improve Reproductive Success

Details: By University of South Florida (USF Innovation); 29.Jan

Although loggerhead sea turtles return to the same beach where they hatched to lay their eggs, a new study by a USF professor finds individual females lay numerous clutches of eggs in locations miles apart from each other to increase the chance that some of their offspring will survive.

Julie Swatson

Although loggerhead sea turtles return to the same beach where they hatched to lay their eggs, a new study by a USF professor finds individual females lay numerous clutches of eggs in locations miles apart from each other to increase the chance that some of their offspring will survive.

A study published in the journal “Scientific Reports” found that some females lay as many as six clutches as far as six miles apart during the same breeding season.

“Nesting females don’t lay all their eggs in one basket. Their reproductive strategy is like investing in a mutual fund. Females divide their resources among many stocks rather than investing everything in a single stock,” said Deby Cassill, biology professor at USF’s St. Petersburg campus and author of the study.

During their 50-year lifetime, a single female loggerhead will produce around 4,200 eggs and scatter them at 40 different sites on the barrier island. This strategy helps reduce the risk of complete reproductive failure by hurricanes and thunderstorms that could wash out or flood all clutches.

Photo Credit: PublicDomainImages via Pixabay

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Not All in One Basket: Loggerhead Sea Turtles Lay Eggs in Multiple Locations to Improve Reproductive Success