1. Why is the project being carried out?
2. What would happen if hatchlings were released now?
3. Why do we feed fish, cabbage and other 'human' food?
4. What would be the psychological effect of the project on the hatchlings?
5. Will the hatchlings remain on the reef or migrate away when released?
6. Do hatchlings grow only lengthwise?
7. What is the growth on their eyes?
8. The hatchlings are not green. Why are they called 'green turtles'?
9. Why are turtles of the same species and age of different size?
10. Why does the adult female not care for the hatchlings?
11. Do the hatchlings recognize the person feeding them?
12. Can turtles recognize the island where they laid eggs previously?
13. Will the hatchlings' behavior change after they are released from captivity?
14. How do sea turtles differ from other reptiles?
15. Are sea turtles similar to land turtles?
16. Do all turtles have the same number of scales?
17. How big can turtles grow?
18. How long does it take for a turtle to mature and lay eggs?
19. Do turtles lay the same number of eggs every time they nest?
20. Do turtles swim continuously, or do they rest on the sea floor?
21. How do turtles breathe?
22. What do turtles eat in the open ocean?
23. How do turtles store energy for the long migrations they make and for nesting?
24. Why do turtles sometimes fold their front flippers over their carapace?
25. What is the thick liquid coming out of a turtle's eye?
26. Do turtles cry?
27. Can turtles see well underwater?
28. How does one differentiate the sex in turtles?
29. How often do male and female turtles come together?
30. Why are turtles kept for one year in the cage?
31. What types of diseases can turtles get?
32. Does the artificial feeding regime during the project affect natural feeding behavior?
33. How long will it take turtles to adapt to the new environment once released?
34. How many years can a turtle live?
35. Why do turtles like (prefer) to eat fish eggs?
36. How big will the turtles be after one year?
37. What can we do to encourage more turtles to nest at Ihuru and Vabbinfaru?
38. Do turtles have teeth?
39. Can turtle eggs be transferred and incubated on other islands to establish new nesting colonies?
40. What is the effect of temperature on turtle egg nests?
41. How many claws does a male turtle have, and what use do they have?
42. Are the hind flippers used for swimming?
43. Why do people eat turtle eggs?
44. How can turtles eat in the ocean and not drown?
45. Does pressure not affect turtles underwater?
46. What is the turtles' secret for staying underwater for 1-2 hours?
47. Can turtles be bred faster in captivity?
48. How many years does it take a turtle to reach maturity in captivity, compared to the wild?
49. How many days can a five-month old turtle go without eating?
50. How many days can an adult turtle go without eating?
51. Why do turtles appear to remain alive even after they have been slaughtered?
52. If you remove the turtle shell, will another one grow?
53. Do turtles have a mating season?
54. Do females have a 'heat' period, in which they are receptive to males for reproduction?
55. Do turtles urinate?
56. Do adult turtles eat corals?
57. Is it easy for turtles to find a mate in the ocean?
58. Are sharks the biggest threat to turtles?
59. When do turtles sleep?
60. How many hours sleep do turtles need?
61. Can turtles sleep in the enclosures?
62. Would a moray eel in the tanks eat the young turtles?
63. Is it necessary to shade one part of the enclosure?
64. What is the ecological impact of turtle population decline?
65. Why is it important to conserve sea turtles?
66. What is the best way to increase awareness of turtle populations and their needs?
67. Can a pessimistic person be convinced that this project is worthwhile?

1. Why is the project being carried out?
This is a project that has three main objectives: First, the project wants to determine if keeping turtles in a controlled environment (free of predators) for a one-year period will significantly affect their overall survival. The theory is that once they are one year old, they will be too big for most predators to bite and their hardened shells will deter most marine creatures from wanting to ruin their teeth! Secondly, there is an educational component, through which Maldivian school children and resort guests have the opportunity to learn firsthand about these magnificent marine mariners in a semi-natural habitat. Lastly, there is a scientific aspect, which aims to determine growth rates and dispersal patterns (how the one year-old turtles swim away from the shore) and survival rates after they are released.

2. What would happen if hatchlings were released now?
In nature the small hatchlings suffer up to 50% mortality within their first hour at sea. Long-term survival is in the range of only one for every thousand hatchlings! When the small and soft-shelled baby turtles crawl down the beach to the sea they are eaten by sharks, jacks and other reef-dwelling fish, and sometimes by crabs and sea birds. By keeping them in a protective cage we want to see if we can increase the rate of survival, and maybe re-stock some of the populations, which have been decimated through egg collection and direct harvest.

3. Why do we feed fish, cabbage and other 'human' food?
Well, sea turtles at this age are omnivorous, that is, they will eat almost anything. In the wild, they feed opportunistically on whatever they encounter on their journey. This might be bits of jellyfish, the occasional crab, pieces of flesh, seaweed and others. We try to give them a varied diet hoping that it comes close to matching what they would have found in the open sea, but we also have to be realistic about what we have available to give them.

4. What would be the psychological effect of the project on the hatchlings?
This is a question that will remain largely unknown, and for this reason we are keeping only a small percentage of all the hatchlings we get for our demonstration project. Because it is so hard to follow and study these animals as they migrate out into the ocean environment, we don't know how close we come to recreating their natural habitat. However, based on the latest scientific information, we know that hatchlings can adapt quite quickly to natural habitats, and that their behavior once released resembles a cross between that of early stage hatchlings and of full-grown adults.

5. Will the hatchlings remain on the reef or migrate away when released?
Our expectations are that they will migrate offshore into their development habitat (the deep open sea) for the rest of their post-hatchling life stage, which might be another five to ten years. Of course, because this is an experiment, we cannot be sure that this will be the case, but we do know that one year-old turtles released in other parts of the world have behaved relatively naturally and migrated offshore, so we are confident our Maldivian turtles will do the same.

6. Do hatchlings grow only lengthwise?
No, turtles grow all over, sideways, lengthways, and in weight. When they are young they grow fairly quickly, and can reach 30-40 cm in length in one year. As they grow older, much like in the case with humans, their growth rates slow down, to a point that they may only grow by 1 or 2 mm, or not grow at all, by the time they are mature and return to nest.

7. What is the growth on their eyes?
This is a slight bacterial infection cased by occasional scrapes as the turtles feed or swim past each other. It has been reported as relatively common in captive turtles. By keeping the turtles in a large enclosure we are trying to keep this occurrence to a minimum.

8. The hatchlings are not green. Why are they called 'green turtles'?
Green turtles derive their name from the color of their fat, as they used to be a staple in the diet of many ancient mariners, who gave them their name. Their scientific name Chelonia mydas is perhaps more appropriate, Chelonia being the generic term for the hard shelled turtles, and mydas being king - an apt name for such a magnificent creature.

9. Why are turtles of the same species and age of different size?
Well, turtles grow at different rates, just like humans do. Some feed more than others, some exercise more, and some are just genetically born to be big or small. This genetic variability ensures that no two turtles are alike, and keeps the population healthy and diverse through evolution. For instance, if all turtles were genetically identical and a fatal disease were to affect the population, they would all die. However, if some of them had different genetic composition they might resist the disease and survive.

10. Why does the adult female not care for the hatchlings?
This is the case for the vast majority of marine creatures. Marine reptiles evolved in such a way that they lay eggs on land, but spend the rest of their life at sea. The way they nest ensures the survival of most of the eggs on land, and the behavioral responses of young turtles ensure a suitable number survival at sea. If this were not the case, turtles would have become extinct many, many years ago! Because fish are so agile and graceful at sea, it would be hard for an adult turtle to protect a clutch of a hundred hatchlings if they relied on her protection alone to evade predators.

11. Do the hatchlings recognize the person feeding them?
They probably do not recognize in the sense of knowing his name, but certainly they will recognize the person as someone who is not a threat, and who provides food. Other humans might be seen as threats however, so it is best not to get too close or move in a rapid, threatening manner.

12. Can turtles recognize the island where they laid eggs previously?
Yes. Adult turtles are known to return to the general vicinity of where they themselves were born some 35 years earlier, and then to return faithfully to the same spot thereafter. How they manage this remarkable feat of migration and navigation is not completely understood, but scientists now know that the turtles rely on the magnetic fields of the planet as homing beacons to their feeding and nesting areas.

13. Will the hatchlings' behavior change after they are released from captivity?
Undoubtedly! We hope they will swim free, and chase the dreams of reaching adulthood much as the day they emerged from the egg. We only home that this little delay in getting them there has made them less vulnerable to predators, and has not interfered dramatically with their other natural behavior and responses.

14. How do sea turtles differ from other reptiles?
Sea turtles are the only reptiles that spend their entire lives at sea, save for the precious moments the female emerges to lay eggs, and the brief incubation period before the hatchlings emerge and rapidly crawl to the sea.

15. Are sea turtles similar to land turtles?
Sea turtles are characterized by having hard shells, salt-excretion glands, non-retractile limbs, and extensively roofed skulls. Sea turtles cannot retract their head or flippers into their shells the way tortoises can, and need the hard shells and heavy-boned skull to protect them from predators. Also, because they live at sea all the time and drink seawater, they need glands to get rid of the extra salt.

16. Do all turtles have the same number of scales?
No, in fact, scales (or more correctly 'scutes') counts are a way by which one can tell the difference among species. If the turtle has no scutes, but rather a hard rubbery shell with seven longitudinal ridges, it is a Leatherback. If the turtle has four pairs of main lateral scutes (the large ones between the main backbone line and the small ones round the edges) it is a Hawksbill or a Green turtle, depending on the number of scales in front of and above the eyes (two pairs: Hawksbill; one pair: Green). If the turtle has five pairs of main lateral scutes, it is a Loggerhead. More than this, it is an Olive Ridley. These are the five species found in Maldivian waters.

17. How big can turtles grow?
The largest Leatherback weigh over 800 kg and reach 2.5 m in length. Most adult green turtles weigh 120-180 kg and are around one meter in length (but have been known to reach over 200 kg), while most adult Hawksbills weigh 50-100 kg and are roughly 70 cm long.

18. How long does it take for a turtle to mature and lay eggs?
On average, scientists believe Green and Hawksbill turtles in the wild take between 30 to 40 years to reach maturity. That means that the turtles that return to lay eggs today in the Maldives were born here many years ago. Imagine the shock they get when they emerge to find brightly lit resorts, ports and a thriving city!

19. Do turtles lay the same number of eggs every time they nest?
Not necessarily. Much as the variation in growth rates, green turtles usually lay between 70 and 120 eggs, with an average of about 100. Hawksbills lay slightly more than that. Depending on how energy is put into egg making, they may lay more or fewer eggs each time they emerge to nest.

20. Do turtles swim continuously, or do they rest on the sea floor?
No, in the open ocean turtles swim continuously and surface regularly to breathe. But in shallow coastal areas turtles frequently rest on the bottom, or in crevices on coral reefs, surfacing every half hour or so to breathe. They have been known to stay underwater for longer periods, even up to two hours.

21. How do turtles breathe?
They swim to the surface, and just before they reach there they exhale, then as their mouths break the surface they take a deep breath. Often they will take two or more breaths before re-submerging.

22. What do turtles eat in the open ocean?
Anything they can get their mouths on. This could be jellyfish, sargassum weeds, crabs and shrimps they find among the weeds, plastic bags, tar balls from oil spills, sandals, fishing line, anything at all!

23. How do turtles store energy for the long migrations they make and for nesting?
In the fats and muscles of their bodies. It is these fats and meats that make them such a target for many humans around the world. Turtles usually spend two to four years accumulating fats before they migrate to the nesting sites.

24. Why do turtles sometimes fold their front flippers over their carapace?
This is their 'resting mode'. When turtles are young they float, so they can afford to stop swimming even when they are in the middle of the ocean, and just float along with the currents.

25. What is the thick liquid coming out of a turtle's eye?
This is the discharge from the tear glands, which are also the salt-excretion glands. It is through these tears that turtles protect the delicate membrane of their eyes underwater, and rid their bodies of excess salt extracted from the water they drink.

26. Do turtles cry?
Not exactly, in the human sense. Rather, there is a continuous production of tears over the eyes to protect the eye membrane and excrete excess salt.

27. Can turtles see well underwater?
Yes, however they can't see that well on land. It is much like the human eye in reverse. If we open our eyes underwater we can see, but our vision is out of focus and hazy. Turtles see like that on land, and they see as well as humans do (on land) when they are swimming underwater.

28. How does one differentiate the sex in turtles?
Externally this can only be done when turtles reach maturity. A male's tail at this point extends out further than the back flippers, and is maybe 40 to 50 cm long. The female's tail is much shorter, only 15-20 cm long. The problem is, when the turtles are immature, there is no difference. So, a large turtle with a short tail could be an immature turtle or a mature female, while a long-tailed turtle is definitely a male. Scientists dissect baby turtles to determine their sex if necessary and can use micro-surgery with a laparascope to determine gender in larger turtles.

29. How often do male and female turtles come together?
Once turtles migrate back to coastal feeding grounds (coral reefs and sea grass beds) they will spend another 10 to 20 years feeding before they reach sexual maturity. At this stage males and females share the same habitats. When they migrate to their nesting sites, which might be hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away, males and females spend a period of courtship and mating which may last several months. The males then migrate back to the feeding grounds, while the females stay on and complete all the nesting emergences for that season, before they themselves follow to the feeding grounds, where they possibly meet up with the males once again.

30. Why are turtles kept for one year in the cage?
During this time we hope they will reach a size at which the most common large fish and sharks in the sea will not be able to eat them.

31. What types of diseases can turtles get?
The study of turtle diseases in the wild is in its infancy because when they die they are rarely washed up on shore. There are some viral, carcinoma-like diseases known as fibropapillomas currently under study in several places, such as Hawaii, and it is thought to be linked to a type of marine pollution brought about by excessive land runoff of pesticides and other agrochemicals. There are a number of bacterial and fungal infections, and a number of parasites. There also are a number of alimentary disorders in sea turtles, brought about in large part today from them ingesting plastic bags and other floating man-made debris, mistaking them for jellyfish and seaweeds.

32. Does the artificial feeding regime during the project affect natural feeding behavior?
Surely it must. At sea, turtles do not grow as fast as they do under these captive conditions, where they don't have to put energy into searching and competing for food, and where food is presented to them regularly. We hope that the 'extra' health and growth will help them in their years ahead once they are released to continue with their natural lives.

33. How long will it take turtles to adapt to the new environment once released?
A hard question to answer. We will do our best to follow them once they leave the project, either through satellite or radio tracking. This will give us an idea of their behavior at sea, and some information on their survival. Of course, we are optimistic that they will behave in a natural manner once they are back in their natural habitat.

34. How many years can a turtle live?
Current estimates are that turtles can live to be at least 80 to 100 years old. This has only been estimated, but is based on records of growth rates and the length of time turtles have been known to be active as adults.

35. Why do turtles like (prefer) to eat fish eggs?
It is possible that the eggs are easier to eat, swallow and digest in comparison to large pieces of fish. Chances are that turtles would eat whatever they were offered, if eggs were not available. It is nearly certain that in the wild, turtles are not presented with the opportunity to eat fish eggs.

36. How big will the turtles be after one year?
It is expected the turtles will be 'dinner plate" size, which is about 30-40 cm in length and at least 1-2 kg in weight.

37. What can we do to encourage more turtles to nest at Ihuru and Vabbinfaru?
Reduce the amount of light, which disturbs and deters adult females to emerge and lay eggs. Because adult turtles do not like bright lights, they might not emerge on a beach where bright lights shine. However, this is not to say the resort cannot use lights, rather, the concept of shaded lights, which maintain some dark patches on the beach are encouraged.

38. Do turtles have teeth?
Not in the traditional sense, but they do have bony plates that are used to cut through sponge and sea grass.

39. Can turtle eggs be transferred and incubated on other islands to establish new nesting colonies?
Eggs can be incubated on other islands, but it will take another 40 years before we can expect one of the offspring to return and nest. Because of this long time lag, we cannot be certain that a new 'nesting colony' can be established. However, there is evidence from a similar effort in Texas, USA, that turtle eggs which originated in Mexico but which were incubated in Texas are now returning to Texas waters, some 38 years later. These results should be treated with caution, however, as we still have no information on the longevity or viability of these returning juveniles.

40. What is the effect of temperature on turtle egg nests?
Temperature determines the sex of the developing embryos. In cases where the embryo is kept warm, the resulting hatchling will be a female. Where the nests are cool, the offspring will be male. Typically a nest contains warm and cool areas, so each nest can produce males and females. However, sometimes if turtles nest late in a season, when the weather starts to cool down, the entire nest might be male. Similarly, if a turtle nests at the height of a warm summer, the entire nest might be female. The matter is compounded by location, for if a turtle nests under the shade of a tree the nest will be cooler than if the nest were laid out in the open. For this reason it is not recommended that we intervene with turtle nesting and nest location, as natural variability ensures a mixture of sexes and long-term viability of populations.

41. How many claws does a male turtle have, and what use do they have?
The male has a claw on each front flipper, which are used to 'hook' onto females during the mating process. Males hook each front flipper over the 'shoulder' area of the females' carapace, and use the tail as the third hook to remain attached during mating.

42. Are the hind flippers used for swimming?
Not to provide propulsion, but they are used to steer, and act much as the tail fins on an aircraft.

43. Why do people eat turtle eggs?
Mostly for food, but there are some who believe, erroneously, that turtle eggs have medical or aphrodisiac values, and collection of eggs for these purposes present an additional threat to dwindling populations.

44. How can turtles eat in the ocean and not drown?
The way the turtles' esophagus and their trachea are arranged, the trachea runs above the esophagus and can be closed off, so that when food and water are swallowed, they run downward and are not taken into the windpipe.

45. Does pressure not affect turtles underwater?
Not really. Similar to scuba diving, the air turtles take into their lungs is compressed and re-expands as they surface.

46. What is the turtles' secret for staying underwater for 1-2 hours?
Turtles have the ability to change the pattern in which they utilize oxygen. Water pressure at depth can help them close off certain arteries and redistribute oxygenated blood only to the critical organs. They also slow down and limit their activity, so as not to burn excessive oxygen reserves.

47. Can turtles be bred faster in captivity?
They can be reared faster in captivity because the food they are given is in excess of what they would be able to find in the wild. However, there are a number of caveats to this, inasmuch as keeping turtles in captivity reduces their ability to function naturally and contributes to genetic mixing and population longevity. Ultimately, if turtles reared in captivity had some form of genetic defect, this might be amplified and multiplied in the wild as the turtles are released, whereas the limited mixing in the wild might have eliminated the threat.

48. How many years does it take a turtle to reach maturity in captivity, compared to the wild?
Probably within twenty, as opposed to thirty years. But, would this really help? Twenty years is still a long time to wait to see adult turtles, and then again, the resources and space needed to farm turtles would be astronomical.

49. How many days can a five-month old turtle go without eating?
Probably a week or more. However, going without food is not necessarily a good thing. It is something that happens in nature due to the way they disperse in the open ocean.

50. How many days can an adult turtle go without eating?
Several months! Yes, as turtles migrate to their nesting grounds, which may be several thousands of miles away, they do not feed. Neither do they eat at the nesting site. They only recommence feeding when they get back to their foraging grounds, and we know from tracking turtles that this whole process may take several months.

51. Why do turtles appear to remain alive even after they have been slaughtered?
This is one of the most horrific aspects of turtle slaughter. The way in which it is carried out allows many of the organs to continue to receive blood from the heart even if the supply of oxygen has been cut off, and may last several hours.

52. If you remove the turtle shell, will another one grow?
Absolutely not! If the shell is removed, the turtle will die!

53. Do turtles have a mating season?
Yes, but it varies from place to place. In the most tropical latitudes, turtles tend to nest year round. In the more southern or northern reaches, the turtles limit their nesting season to the warmest months.

54. Do females have a 'heat' period, in which they are receptive to males for reproduction?
Not in the sense of terrestrial animals, but the mere fact that they migrate to nesting sites indicates that they have reached a physical state which is suitable for mating and subsequent nesting.

55. Do turtles urinate?
Yes, as all other animals, they need to be able to rid their bodies of excretory products.

56. Do adult turtles eat corals?
Turtles grazing on corals are not aimed at the corals themselves, but often they will try to graze macro-algae and a number of invertebrates off the reef surface.

57. Is it easy for turtles to find a mate in the ocean?
No, not in the open ocean. For this reason they mate once they reach the nesting site, where the high concentration of males and females means they can find each other more easily.

58. Are sharks the biggest threat to turtles?
Other than humans, sharks are the largest threat to adult turtles, as they are among the few species in the seas that can bite and kill it a turtle. On land, however, there are a number of animals, hyenas, wild dogs etc. that can also threaten nesting adult females. When the turtles are younger, however, they are threatened by just about every predatory fish, and to a small extent birds and crabs.

59. When do turtles sleep?
They do not sleep in the human sense, but they slow down and reduce activity to get into a 'rest' mode, with their eyes closed, but still sufficiently awake to know when oxygen levels drop and that it is time to surface to breathe.

60. How many hours sleep do turtles need?
Typically they are inactive throughout most of the night, as they require light to be able to feed and move around.

61. Can turtles sleep in the enclosures?
Well, they can definitely relax, of course. The whole idea is that the environment they live in within the enclosure is as natural as possible. They get to experience waves, normal sunlight and moonlight cycles. It is this natural environment that we hope will get them ready for their next major adventure.

62. Would a moray eel in the tanks eat the young turtles?
No, not at all. A moray eel would have a mouth too small to eat the turtles even at their present size. That is again a major objective of this project. In fact, most marine predators would have a hard time eating them now.

63. Is it necessary to shade one part of the enclosure?
No, not at all. The enclosure is supposed to represent the natural environment, which is not shaded.

64. What is the ecological impact of turtle population decline?
Well, the turtle is an important member of several marine communities, from coral reefs to sea grass beds; it needs clean nesting beaches and impact-free open oceans. Green sea turtles feed on sea grass. If they were to disappear, who would eat the sea grass? Hawksbills eat sponges on coral reefs. If they were no longer around, reefs might get overrun with sponges and we'd have no great corals and fish around. Every animal on this planet has an important role to play. Mankind has accelerated the decline of turtles, and it is our responsibility to do whatever we can to restore them to their previous numbers.

65. Why is it important to conserve sea turtles?
Because everyone on this planet has a moral obligation to the rest of the planet to make sure it survives in much the same way we inherited it, when we pass it on to our children. Conserving wildlife is not something to be learnt, it is something to be felt, and responsible citizens around the globe should feel that responsibility.

66. What is the best way to increase awareness of turtle populations and their needs?
Mostly through education projects such as the one currently being carried out on Ihuru and Vabbinfaru, which brings awareness of turtles and their plight to the general public.

67. Can a pessimistic person be convinced that this project is worthwhile?
Sure. Everybody is a pessimist at one point or another, but turtles are turtles. They don't care if we are pessimistic or optimistic. They don't care what clothes we wear, or what car we drive. As soon as we can see through that, inasmuch as turtles are helpless save for mankind's interference, even a pessimist will understand that help is needed from us, irrespective of how we feel about it.

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