All turtles are indeed oviparous. Oviparous animals are animals that lay eggs with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of all turtles, along with most other reptiles, amphibians, fish, monotremes, insects, some mollusks and arachnids, and all birds.
All turtles lay their eggs on land, and for many species this is a process that requires lots of hard labor as they dig a pit and lay many eggs usually in a “nest” or by burrowing them into the sand so they are well hidden from predators. The hatching turtles have what is known as an “egg tooth” at the end of their beaks that help them break open their egg when it is time for them to hatch. They lose this tooth later on in life. For turtles that reside in the water the process of reproducing can be exhausting as it requires them to drag themselves ashore, dig a pit, lay the eggs, and then drag themselves back to the water.
Leave a Reply