Turtle hatchlings, less than a day old, at the conservation centre in Pantai Kerachut. — Photos: CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
HERE is a cool fact about sea turtles: the incubation temperature of their eggs determines their offspring’s gender.
“So, if turtle eggs buried in Penang beaches are allowed to incubate naturally, almost all the hatchlings would be females because it is really warm in the sand here,” said turtle ranger Muhamad Ezzat Hidayat Elias.
To ensure an equal number of male and female baby turtles, rangers at the Fisheries Department’s Turtle Conservation and Information Centre in Pantai Kerachut have to help Mother Nature along.
Nearly all turtles lay eggs in the still of the night.
Come morning, turtle rangers walk along the beach, especially Pantai Kerachut, to collect the eggs.
“We keep 70% of the eggs in our hatchery that has a controlled temperature.
The turtle egg incubation process being monitored.— Photos: CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
“The remaining 30% is left behind,” Muhammad Ezzat said at the centre which is located at Penang National Park on the island.
He said this ratio was decided on because 20% to 30% of hatchery eggs would still yield females.
“For a hatchling to be male, the incubation temperature must be between 25°C and 29.5°C.
“For hatchlings to be females, the temperature must be above those ranges.
“In Penang, the temperature in natural turtle nests will almost always be above 29.5°C.”
Muhamad Ezzat said they could help determine the gender of the hatchlings within the first 24 hours of the eggs being laid.
“We release thehatchlings afterabout a week.”Muhamad Ezzat Hidayat Elias
It takes 45 to 50 days for females to hatch, and 60 to 65 incubation days for the males.
“We release the hatchlings after about a week,” he said.
While in captivity, the hatchlings will feed off the remainder of the yolk they were born in.
This gives them time to get stronger, which increases their chances of surviving in the wild.
