Biology - Reproduction

Nesting and Egg Laying 

Hawksbill Sea Turtles like many other turtles have nesting grounds on beaches and coastline and lay eggs. They find their nesting grounds usually where they were born; they leave the water and go above the high tide line. This is when Hawksbill uses their back legs to dig a hole in the sand to lay eggs in. "They swim through the crashing surf and crawl up the beach searching for a nesting spot above the high-water mark. Using her back flippers, the reptile digs a nest in the sand" (US Department of Commerce, 2023). Nesting and laying eggs is the only time that these sea turtles are on land. The adaptation of storing sperm allows females to make multiple nests to lay eggs in; they can lay 3 to 5 nests in a season. The turtle usually lays around 130 to 160 eggs in each nest she lays; numbers can vary but this is an average for the species. Making multiple nests and laying so many eggs ensures that there will be a few Hawksbill offspring that will survive from hatchling to adult turtle to mate. After laying the eggs the mother turtle returns to the water leaving the nest. If something ate the eggs from one nest there are at least two others that have a chance. When the hatchlings are young they are small and can become snacks for birds and other prey; that is why they lay so many eggs. Laying multiple nests and hundreds of eggs pretty much guarantees that a few offspring will survive. After about 2 months or so in the warm sand acting as an incubator the eggs hatch and they have to make it to the water and find protection.