Leatherback turtle hatchlings (Dermochelys coriacea) heading for the sea. Turtles are wholly aquatic reptiles, the females only coming ashore to lay t

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Leatherback turtle hatchlings (Dermochelys coriacea) heading for the sea. Turtles are wholly aquatic reptiles, the females only coming ashore to lay their eggs. Each female lays about 80 eggs in a nest dug in the sand. The eggs hatch after 2 months. When the majority of the eggs have hatched the hatchlings make a dash for the relative safety of the sea, usually under the cover of darkness. The loss of nesting beaches, due to development, and the effects of hunting and pollution have endangered the leatherback turtle. Photographed in Kamiali, Lababia, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.

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Size: 4029px × 2686px
Photo credit: © SCUBAZOO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: animal, beach, biological, biology, coriacea, dashing, dermochelys, fauna, guinea, hatchling, hatchlings, kamiali, lababia, leatherback, morobe, nature, offspring, papua, province, reptile, reptilia, scuttling, sea, shore, turtle, turtles, wildlife, young, zoological, zoology