Turtle lays eggs 'heat resistance'

British scientists claim that some species of sea turtles have evolved to produce 'heat-resistant' eggs to deal with hot sand on beaches that are their habitat.

According to UPI news agency, a team of experts from the University of Exeter studied turtles green turtles nesting on Ascension Island, British overseas territory in the South Atlantic Ocean.

They found that eggs laid by turtles on a natural hot beach can tolerate higher temperatures than the eggs of turtles nest on a cooler beach a few kilometers away.

A dark sand makes the beach 2-3 degrees C hotter than a white sand beach.

'We believe this is the first time that adaptation to indigenous environmental conditions is reflected in sea turtles, even notably because beaches are only about 6 kilometers apart , ' said Jonathan Blount. , the research leader, said.

According to the researchers, most female turtles nest at the same beach where they hatch, so the 'population' of turtles can adapt to specific nesting conditions and locations.