India, April 11 -- A 16-year-long study of the Olive Ridley turtles has revealed that the population in the Indian ocean is among the oldest in the world and that nesting in Odisha is genetically distinct from other global populations including those found in the South American coast.

The study titled "Monitoring Sea Turtles in India 2008- 2024" and done by Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology was published by the Indian Institute of Science and DakShin Foundation of Bengaluru.

Olive Ridley turtles are the smallest of the marine turtles that normally lay eggs in Rushikulya and Gahirmatha beaches of Odisha. The Rushikulya beach in Ganjam district, is one of the world's largest nesting si...