Editing Hatchling (section)

==Reptiles==
[[Image:HawksbillHatchling.jpg|thumb|A [[hawksbill turtle]] hatchling]]
The [[reptile]] hatchling is quite the opposite of an altricial bird hatchling. Most hatchling reptiles are born with the same instincts as their parents and leave to live on their own immediately after leaving the egg. When first hatched, hatchlings can be several times smaller than their adult forms: Pine Snakes weigh 30 grams when they first hatch, but can grow up to 1,400 grams as adults.<ref>{{cite book|last=Burger|first=Joanna|title=Whispers in the Pines: A Naturalist in the Northeast|page=228|publisher=Rutgers University Press|year=2006|url=http://www.questiaschool.com/read/118815516/whispers-in-the-pines-a-naturalist-in-the-northeast |url-access=subscription }}</ref> This appears to have been the case even in dinosaurs.<ref>{{cite book|last=Paul|first=Gregory S.|page=43|title=The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=2010|url=http://www.questiaschool.com/library/120074151/the-princeton-field-guide-to-dinosaurs |url-access=subscription }}</ref> In sea turtles, hatchling sex is determined by incubation temperature.<ref>{{cite book|editor-first1=Richard P. |editor-last1=Reading |editor-first2=Brian |editor-last2=Miller|title=Endangered Animals: A Reference Guide to Conflicting Issues|page=172|publisher=Greewood Press|year=2000|url=http://www.questiaschool.com/read/101371949/endangered-animals-a-reference-guide-to-conflicting |url-access=subscription }}</ref> In species in which eggs are laid then buried in sand, indentations in the sand can be a clue to imminent hatching.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Hartman|first=Hailey B.|title=Share the Beach: Teamwork for Turtles|journal=Endangered Species Update|date=March–April 2003|volume=20|issue=2|url=http://www.questiaschool.com/library/1G1-105440297/share-the-beach-teamwork-for-turtles |url-access=subscription }}</ref> In sea turtles, this usually occurs about 60 days after the laying of eggs, and often at night.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Zattau|first=Dawn|title=Habitat Conservation Plan for Sea Turtles|journal=Endangered Species Bulletin|date=January 1998|volume=23|issue=1|url=http://www.questiaschool.com/library/1G1-54023073/habitat-conservation-plan-for-sea-turtles |url-access=subscription }}</ref> However, exposure to [[xenobiotic]] compounds, especially endocrine-disrupting compounds, can affect hatchling sex ratios as well.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Crews|first1=David|last2=Rhen|first2=Turk|last3=Sakata|first3=Jon T.|last4=Willingham|first4=Emily|title=Embryonic Treatment with Xenobiotics Disrupts Steroid Hormone Profiles in Hatchling Red-Eared Slider Turtles (Trachemys Scripta Elegans)|journal=Environmental Health Perspectives|volume=108|issue=4|date=April 2000|doi=10.1289/ehp.00108329 |pmid=10753091|pmc=1638010|pages=329–332}}</ref> Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and other pollutants like octylphenol are also known to increase rate of hatchling mortality and deformity.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Hodge|first=Mary|title=Chemical Contamination of Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas) Eggs in Peninsular Malaysia: Implications for Conservation and Public Health|journal=Environmental Health Perspectives|date=September 2009|volume=117|issue=9|doi=10.1289/ehp.0900813 |pages=1397–1401|display-authors=etal|pmid=19750104|pmc=2737016}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Chiu, Suzanne|title=Octylphenol (OP) Alters the Expression of Members of the Amyloid Protein Family in the Hypothalamus of the Snapping Turtle, Chelydra Serpentina Serpentina. (Articles)|journal=Environmental Health Perspectives|date=March 2002|volume=110|issue=3|doi=10.1289/ehp.02110269 |pmid=11882478|url=http://www.questiaschool.com/library/1G1-84865565/octylphenol-op-alters-the-expression-of-members |url-access=subscription|pages=269–275|display-authors=etal|pmc=1240767}}</ref> Upon hatching, animals such as turtles have innate navigational skills, including compass and beacon methods of navigation, to reach safety. For example, turtle hatchlings instinctively swim against waves to ensure they leave the beach and its predators.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gould|first1=Carol Grant|last2=Gould|first2=James L.|page=128|title=Nature's Compass: The Mystery of Animal Navigation|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=2012|url=http://www.questiaschool.com/read/120895685/nature-s-compass-the-mystery-of-animal-navigation |url-access=subscription }}</ref> They also head towards the brightest part of the horizon in order to reach the water: however, human activity has created sources of light which mislead the turtle hatchlings, causing them to not travel directly to the water, making them vulnerable to dehydration and predation.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Haworth|first=Holly|title=And Incredible Bright: ... and Blotted out the Night Sky|journal=Earth Island Journal|volume=28|issue=1|date=Spring 2013|url=http://www.questiaschool.com/library/1G1-321580114/and-incredible-bright-and-blotted-out-the-night |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Hatchlings of the species ''Iguana iguana'' also gain gut flora essential to digestion from adults as part of their development.<ref>{{cite book|last=Leigh Jr.|first=Egbert Giles|page=33|title=Tropical Forest Ecology: A View from Barro Colorado Island|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1999|url=http://www.questiaschool.com/read/91437014/tropical-forest-ecology-a-view-from-barro-colorado |url-access=subscription }}</ref> In the wild, hatchling survival rates are extremely low due to factors such as predation, for example, by crabs,<ref>{{cite journal|last=Stap|first=Don|title=The Crocodile's Power Play - until Everglades Habitat Is Restored, Some Unexpected Nesting Sites Are Helping the American Crocodile Come Back in South Florida|journal=National Wildlife|date=February–March 2002|volume=40|issue=2|url=http://www.questiaschool.com/library/1G1-89436282/the-crocodile-s-power-play-until-everglades-habitat |url-access=subscription }}</ref> as well as due to human-made obstacles.<ref>{{cite news|title=Festival to Show off Georgia's Wild Side; Turtle Hatchling to Be on Display|last=Stepzinski|first=Teresa|url=http://www.questiaschool.com/read/1G1-108451490/festival-to-show-off-georgia-s-wild-side-turtle-hatchling |url-access=subscription |newspaper=The Florida Times Union|location=Brunswick, Georgia|date=October 2, 2003}}</ref> Human intervention has also benefitted hatchling reptiles at times. For example, late-hatched loggerhead turtles are taken in by such groups as the University of Georgia to be raised.<ref>{{cite news|last=Landers|first=Mary|title=Large Living Just Got a Little Larger for This Sea Turtle; Raised in Aquariums, a Loggerhead Finally Heads to the Atlantic|newspaper=The Florida Times Union|date=September 12, 2008|url=http://www.questiaschool.com/read/1G1-184824832/large-living-just-got-a-little-larger-for-this-sea |url-access=subscription }}</ref> In species such as crocodiles, hydration levels also play an important role in embryo survival.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kelly|first=Lynne|page=196|title=Crocodile: Evolution's Greatest Survivor|publisher=Allen & Unwin|year=2006|url=http://www.questiaschool.com/library/120076002/crocodile-evolution-s-greatest-survivor |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===As pets===
Reptile hatchlings, especially those of turtles, are often sold as pets. This has been reported to occur even in places where such practices are illegal.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lee|first1=David S.|last2=Sellers|first2=L. George|title=Can We Teach Proactive Turtle Conservation in Our Classrooms?|journal=The American Biology Teacher|volume=74|issue=7|date=September 2012|url=http://www.questiaschool.com/library/1G1-301776014/can-we-teach-proactive-turtle-conservation-in-our |url-access=subscription|doi=10.1525/abt.2012.74.7.6|pages=459–463|s2cid=83814558}}</ref>