Turtles are semy aquatic animals, which means that they spend most of their time in the water. But they also spend a good amount of time on the surface since they need to breathe air. But what about their eggs? Do they lay them underwater, or do they also need to be on land?
Turtles don’t lay their eggs in water, instead, they dig holes in the ground, search for burrows, or they lay their eggs in piles of leaves or spots with dense vegetation, in order to hide them from potential predators. Turtle eggs can’t survive underwater.
Despite the fact that turtles spend a lot of time underwater, they still need oxygen. The same thing applies to the babies that are found in the eggs. So when turtles have to lay their eggs they actually try to do so in a place where the water can’t reach them. Even sea turtles lay their eggs on beaches, where the water can’t reach them.
Where do Turtles Lay Their Eggs?
The ideal place for a turtle to lay eggs will be war, have enough moisture to keep the eggs hydrated and be hidden from potential predators.
Unlike most animals that lay eggs, turtles are not able to defend them. So they do the next best thing and hide them.
Most turtles will usually lay their eggs in holes that they dig themselves, in burows, or under piles of leaves.
Sea turtles lay their eggs on beaches. The interesting part about this is that sea turtles always lay their eggs on the beach where they were born. They will always return to the same beach to lay their eggs, if they are unable to lay their eggs on that beach, sea turtles prefer not to lay their eggs at all, than to go to another beach, even if turtles from their own species are using it.
All turtles, with the exception of one species, lay their eggs on land. Even sea turtles that spend most of their life in water, will come out on land to lay their eggs. Most turtle eggs won’t be able to hatch if they spend time submerged in water.
The only exception to this is the northern snake-necked turtle that lives in Australia. In the 1980s the Australian biologist Rob Kenneth discovered that this species will lay its eggs in water. This turtle species lives in wetlands known as billabongs, that alternate seasonally between dry and wet. The northern snake-necked turtles laid their eggs in water during the wet season. After the wet season passes and the dry season comes, the water will go away and the eggs will usually hatch. So the babies aren’t born underwater, but they are able to survive until they hatch.
How Many Eggs Do Turtles Lay?
How many eggs a turtle will lay depends on its species and size.
- Red-eared sliders: 10 to 30 eggs
- Box turtles: 3 to 9 eggs
- Snapping turtles: 20 to 40 eggs
- Mud turtles: 2 to 5 eggs
- Green sea turtles: 100 to 120 eggs
- Flatback turtles: 50 to 60 eggs
- Leatherback turtles: 100 to 120 eggs
If you want to know why there is such a big difference between the number of eggs laid and the species of the turtles, you should check out this article: How Many Eggs do Turtles Lay?
Do Turtles Lay Eggs Without Mating?
Yes, female turtles will lay eggs even if there is no male around to mate with them.
Female turtles will lay eggs every year, even if they didn’t mate. The difference is that the eggs won’t be fertilized, so no baby turtles will come out of them.
What Do Turtle Eggs Look Like?
Usually, turtle eggs have a very plain look. Unlike bird eggs, turtle eggs don’t have so many color or shape variations. Turtle eggs are white or cream colored, and don’t have any kind of pattern on them. They do vary a little in shape, some species lay perfectly spherical eggs, while others lay slightly elongated eggs. The only thing that can vary greatly between the eggs is the texture of the shell. Some turtle species lay hard-shelled eggs, like chicken eggs, while others lay eggs with a leather-like texture.
Here are a couple of pictures that will show you some bird eggs, and some turtle eggs, so you can observe the difference better.
Related Questions
Do turtles mate for life? No, turtles will not mate for life. Every mating season they will look for a new partner to mate with. It is also very common for turtles to have various partners during one mating season.
How often do turtles lay eggs? Most aquatic and land turtles will only lay eggs once a year. Sea turtles will usually lay eggs 4 to 10 times a year.
Do turtles eat their own eggs? Turtles will eat their own eggs only if the eggs are not fertilized. If the eggs are fertilized they will not eat them.
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