The Incredible Nesting of Ridley's Turtles: The Role of the Moon
The Blue Planet Episode 1 Part 9 showcases the mass nesting of Ridley's turtles on a crowded beach. The moon's cycle affects the survival of female turtles and their eggs.
00:00:00 Female Ridley's turtles emerge from the surf at a Costa Rican beach to lay their eggs. Up to 5000 turtles visit the beach during peak time.
🌊 The video takes place on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica during a special night when turtles emerge from the surf.
🐢 These turtles, specifically female Ridley's turtles, visit the beach to lay their eggs in the sand, with 400,000 turtles visiting over the course of six days.
🌕 The moon is in its last quarter, halfway between full and new, during this time when the turtles arrive.
00:01:11 The Blue Planet Episode 1 Part 9 showcases the incredible mass nesting of Ridley's turtles on a crowded beach, with 40 million eggs laid in just a few days. The nesting is coordinated with the moon's phases, ensuring a successful hatchling emergence.
🐢 Every year, a quarter of the world's population of Ridley's turtles come to a specific beach to lay their eggs.
🌙 The nesting of these turtles, known as an arribada, is coordinated based on the phases of the moon.
🥚 During this mass nesting event, around forty million eggs are laid in just a few days.
00:02:15 In The Blue Planet Episode 1 Part 9, baby turtles face predators on their way to the water. The moon helps female turtles synchronize nesting.
🐢 The beach is a dangerous place for baby turtles, with many predators waiting to attack them.
🌙 Female turtles use the moon as a cue to synchronize their nesting and increase the chances of survival for their offspring.
🦅 Vultures have learned to take advantage of the returning tide to search for freshly laid eggs that are exposed by the surf.
00:03:19 The moon's cycle affects the tides and plays a role in the survival of female turtles and their eggs on the beach.
🐢 Female turtles tend to lay their eggs during the last or first quarter of the moon when the tides are weakest and the sea is calm.
🌊 The moon's monthly cycle and its influence on the tides play a significant role in triggering various events in the ocean, such as the spawning of corals on the Great Barrier Reef.
00:04:22 This video explores the impact of the annual cycle of the Sun on the breeding cycles of fish.
🐟 Understanding the breeding cycles of fish.
☀️ The annual cycle of the Sun has a profound effect on marine life.
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