Can A Turtle’s Sex Be Determined By Its Nest?

Merely looking at the nest won’t help you know whether a turtle will be male or female, but the temperature(s) inside the nest can reveal which sex the baby turtle will turn out to be.

As harsh as this may sound, sea turtles abandon their eggs and never once come back to look after them. Therefore, the component that provides these eggs with a motherly touch and helps ensure their proper development also dictates whether they’re born male or female.

The change in climate temperatures due to anthropogenic-driven global warming is heating the sands of the world at an alarming rate and hampering the natural phenomenon of TSD. Turtles are facing the brunt of it, as their population is turning into an all-female affair. This leaves little to no males to fertilize the ever-growing female population, which will eventually threaten the species with extinction. Another study reveals that PCBs or polychlorinated biphenyl compounds, a class of widespread pollutants, can mimic the estrogen hormone, giving them the power to reverse even the sex of turtles that had been raised at “male” temperatures.

Eye color, length of their claws and the shape of their shells are all indications to look for when you go to a turtle’s gender reveal party! Now you know that whether you get a piece of blue or pink cake actually depends on the warmth of the baby turtle’s home in the sand!