Animal reproduction
Offspring: How many? How often?
Quick and many:
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-in between-Sea turtles (Chelonioidea) lie in the middle of the broad spectrum of reproduction strategies. This is because these large reptiles have long lifespans (provided they reach adulthood), and also produce large numbers of un-nurtured offspring.
K-selection characteristics: - it is estimated that sea turtles can live up to 80 years (as it is hard to accurately measure their lifespan) - sexual maturity ranges between species, but loggerhead turtles take between 12 and 30 years to mature, and green sea turtles take between 20 and 50 years. - sea turtles reproduce more than once in their lifetimes, being able to mate two or three time over the course of the mating season. - the largest sea turtle specimen found was located in Pakistan and measured 213 cm in length and weighed 650 kg r-selection characteristics: - female sea turtles lay between 50 and 200 eggs (depending on the species) and lay between 1 and 9 groups of eggs per season. |
Slower and fewer:
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