Louise Correia, age 12, of Taber, Alta., Canada, for her question:

 HOW DO TURTLES REPRODUCE?

There are male and female turtles, and usually the mating season is in the spring. The male comes courting to attract the female's attention. The big Galapagos tortoise roars like a bull and nips the female's legs. A male sea turtle may swim on his back and stroke the female's cheek. Sometimes the female mates only once and lays clutches of eggs through several seasons.

She may be a small , medium  or large size turtle, but she is sure to dig a hole and lay her eggs in dirt or sand She scoops out a flask shape nest and places the eggs inside. Then she scrapes a pile of dirt or debris over the opening  goes off and forgets the whole thing. The round, soft shelled eggs are incubated by the warm sun and usually hatch in a few weeks. The infants are mini copies of the adults and all ready to take care of themselves. But sad to say, many of the eggs and babies are devoured by hungry animals  and others are stolen by people.