The sea coast of which one of the following states has become famous as a nesting place for the giant Olive Ridley turtles from South America?

Answer: (c) Orissa

Odisha’s Gahirmatha, Rushikulya and Devi river mouth host arribadas — mass nesting of Olive Ridleys.

The idea

The olive ridley is among the smallest and the most abundant sea turtles. Its special habit is mass nesting: tens of thousands of females come ashore together on a few nights. This is called arribada, Spanish for “arrival”.

Turtles gather off the Odisha coast in winter → Mass nesting on the beach, usually February–March → Each female buries about a hundred eggs → Eggs hatch after about seven weeks → Hatchlings run to the sea

Why the others are wrong

(d) Tamil Nadu has some nesting, but not the famous mass arribadas.

Also know

The three sites are Gahirmatha, the Rushikulya mouth and the Devi mouth. The warmth of the sand decides the sex of the hatchlings: warmer nests give more females. The big danger is trawl nets; trawlers must fit turtle excluder devices, and the Coast Guard runs Operation Olivia every nesting season.