Hatching of Olive ridley turtle twin hatchlings

A clutch of 126 olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) turtle eggs was laid at Palapetty Beach, Thrissur District, Kerala on 15th January 2016 and relocated by members of the Kanyakumari Turtle NEWS Club to the hatchery at Palapetty. On 02nd March 2016, after 46 days of incubation, 58 hatchlings emerged from the nest unaided in the early morning. The nest was excavated three hours after emergence of the first hatchling, at which time 14 more hatchlings emerged from the exposed eggs including two pairs of twins (Table 1; for example see Figure 1) which emerged from the eggshells on their own. The hatchlings were transported to a holding tank 15min post-hatching. The twin hatchlings were unable to remain afloat and their movement on land was also impaired as they remained connected by the respective yolk sacs. The first pair of twin hatchlings died half an hour after hatching, while the second pair of twins survived for six hours. Four other hatchlings which emerged from the exposed eggs died before being introduced to the holding tank. The surviving hatchlings were released to sea approximately nine to thirteen hours after hatching.