Life Cycles

Year 2 were looking at the life cycles of different animals and insects. Here on Cayman, we have turtles - and we can follow their life cycle. Did you know that female turtles always return to the beach they hatched from when they are ready to lay eggs? They can travel thousands of miles in their lives but they always know when and where to go to lay their own eggs. Our pictures show the mummy turtle laying the eggs and covering them up; and then the marks on the sand once a nest has hatched and the babies heading for the sea!

Turtles lay their eggs at night. First, the mummy turtle digs a hole to lay the eggs in.

Next, the eggs are laid - can you see them in the hole? She lays 100 or more eggs in about one hour!

Then, she covers the eggs up and fill in the hole so that no-one knows where the nest is.

Filling in the nest is hard work! I think the turtle must get very tired.

Once she's happy that the eggs are well covered and the nest is well hidden - she goes back out to sea. She might be back - turtles lay eggs 2 - 5 times during the nesting season.

About 2 months later...the beach is covered in baby turtle tracks one morning - they have hatched during the night and made their way to the sea.

Here are 2 that were left behind in the nest - they were rescued by the Department of the Environment and released in the evening at the same spot...they did both head in the right direction eventually and swam out to sea! Good luck, babies!