Reproductive age and activity

The age at which turtles first reproduce varies from only a few years to perhaps as many as 50, with small species typically reaching sexual maturity sooner. Female false map turtles (Graptemys pseudogeographica) of the central United States, for example, are about 8 cm (3.2 inches) long and become sexually mature at two to three years. The eastern (U.S.) mud turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum) is somewhat larger and spends three to four years as a juvenile. The much larger common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina), at nearly 30 cm (one foot), takes 10 to 12 years to mature, and the slightly larger Mexican tortoise (Gopherus flavomarinatus) matures at 14 to 15 years. Age at maturity is also tied to a turtle’s rate of growth, which relates to both the quantity and quality of food. Along Florida’s Atlantic coast the metre-long (3.3-foot) green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) takes 24 to 28 years to mature, but in Hawaii it takes 30 to 34 years, and some Australian populations near the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef take more than 40 years.

Reproductive activity is generally seasonal, and for most species it occurs in conjunction with a major annual weather change. For most turtles living in temperate regions, reproductive activity can occur with increasing day length and temperature (i.e., in springtime), whereas for many tropical species it may occur late in the dry season or early in the rainy season. Egg laying coincides with periods favourable for the development and emergence of hatchlings—for instance, times of abundant food or of optimal weather conditions.

Courtship and copulation

Courtship and copulation require cooperation because of the turtles’ shells. Mating can occur only with entwined tails, thus placing the male and female vents together for insertion of the penis. Courtship patterns range from a seemingly abusive interaction to a titillation routine that entices the female’s cooperation. Many male tortoises (Geochelone species) compete with one another in a series of head bobs and ramming charges. A male then uses the same behaviour along with biting to force the female into immobility and submission. In contrast, male sliders (Trachemys) and cooters are more subtle in their approach. These freshwater turtles have exceptionally long and straight claws. Depending upon the species, the male swims above or backward in front of the female with his forelimbs extended and his claws brushing the sides of the female’s head. His forefeet vibrate, and the rapid, light touch of the claws titillates the female. In a few species, including the Asian river turtle, or batagur (Batagur baska), and the Argentine side-necked turtle (Phrynops hilarii), the male develops bright head and trunk colours that signal his reproductive readiness and possibly elicit a female’s cooperation.

Nesting and egg laying

Leatherbacks and other sea turtles are migratory in that they traverse hundreds of kilometres from their main feeding areas to nest on the beaches where they hatched. Annual migration also occurs in some river-dwelling turtles, including the South American arrau (Podocnemis expansa) and the Asian river turtle. These turtles move tens of kilometres along rivers in order to find large sandbars on which to nest. The females of all aquatic species must leave the water to find nesting sites. Some merely move to the banks adjacent to the streams they live in; others travel hundreds of metres across land to find appropriate nesting conditions. Nesting is an arduous affair that exposes females to increased predation.

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The number of eggs in a single “clutch” is variable both within and between species. Small species typically lay few eggs—only one or two in the Asian black marsh turtle or the pancake tortoise. The number of eggs increases with body size among species and occasionally within a species. However, the largest turtle, the leatherback sea turtle, produces fewer eggs (average 50–90 eggs per clutch) than do smaller sea turtles such as the hawksbill (140–160 eggs) and olive ridley (105–110 eggs). Similarly, the large Aldabran tortoise (60–80 cm [24–32 inches]) lays 12–14 eggs, yet the common snapping turtle (20–35 cm [8–14 inches]) lays 20–30 eggs, and the Suwanee cooter (14–28 cm [5.5–11 inches]) lays 15–20 eggs.

In most species, eggs are laid annually; a few species lay every other year, and some lay twice in one nesting season. The sea turtles generally nest in three- to four-year cycles, the female usually laying multiple clutches of eggs during each nesting season. Within the season, cycles of egg laying occur about two weeks apart, allowing the female time to rest from the energy-demanding excursion ashore and for ovulation and shelling of the eggs. Turtle eggshells can be leathery, as in sea turtles, or brittle, as in many tortoises. Calcium carbonate is a constituent of both types of shells; the leathery ones simply have less.

Nest digging is a fixed behavioral pattern in all but a few species. Most turtles dig chambers in which the eggs are laid. Once the female finds a desired nesting site, she begins to dig the chamber with alternate scooping movements of the hind limbs. As one hind limb supports the rear half of the body, the other one moves inward under the tail and, with a semicircular twist of the foot, spades into the soil and makes a quick sideward flip, dropping the soil to the outside as the hind foot locks into its supportive position. The opposite foot repeats the pattern, and in a slow, steady alternation the nest is dug. Digging stops when the female has reached a depth equal to the length of her outstretched hind limbs. Then, bracing herself on both hind limbs and with the tail centred over the nest, she drops her eggs into the hole. After she has expelled all of her eggs, the hind limbs resume their alternate movement, but now they drag the loose soil back into the nest. The female departs when the nest is filled. A few species, such as the stinkpot, or common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus), dig a shallow nest with both the fore- and hind feet.

Egg development and hatching

The rate of development inside the egg is temperature-dependent, with warmer temperatures speeding development and cooler temperatures slowing it. As a result, incubation time is variable. For the majority of turtles, incubation ranges between 45 and 75 days. A few species, including the scorpion mud turtle (Kinosternon scorpioides) of Central and South America and the northern snake-necked turtle (Chelodina rugosa) of Australia, have embryonic diapause, in which development stops soon after an egg is deposited. Diapause is usually triggered by an environmental stimulus, and development resumes when a contrasting stimulus (temperature and moisture) occurs. Incubation with diapause can be as long as 12 months from egg laying to hatching.

In most turtles, sex is determined by temperature. Within a narrow range of temperatures (centred at 28 °C [82 °F]), a clutch of eggs yields nearly equal numbers of females and males. Above that range all hatchlings are female, and below it all are male. The critical period for sex determination is during the second trimester of incubation, and the critical temperature seems to be the average during this period rather than the maximum or minimum.

This temperature effect is substantial. Increases in air and sea surface temperatures related to global warming and shifting regional climate patterns have had substantial effects on the sex ratios of some species. For example, the sex ratio of green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) juveniles and subadults from the beaches of the northern parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef became overwhelmingly (more than 99 percent) female between 1960 and 2016 as air temperatures rose.

Hatching consists of two separate events: exiting the egg and emerging from the nest. Hatchlings have a small, pointed, keratinous bump (caruncle) on the tip of the snout. This structure is analogous to the egg tooth possessed by hatchling birds and some other reptiles. The caruncle is pushed against the inner surface of the eggshell, breaking it. The hatchling then tears a larger opening and climbs out of the shell. After a pause to uncurl its body and shell from the cramped conditions within the egg, the hatchling begins to dig upward. This may be an individual effort, but usually several hatchlings dig together, helping one another. In sea turtles a collective effort is required because a single hatchling lacks the energy and time to do it alone. Upon reaching the surface, hatchlings of aquatic species move to the water; terrestrial ones make their way into leaf litter or dense vegetation to avoid predators. Eggs and hatchlings are the most vulnerable life stages, and many become a meal for almost any predator in their habitat.