Turtles and tortoises lay their eggs in holes dug in the soil, very often in the same spot, year after year. Most species have eggs with hard shells, though some do lay soft shelled eggs. The female first digs a hole, and lays the eggs. She then covers them with soil and grass, using her stomach and her back legs. Each clutch of eggs will have three to five eggs, and each egg is about 4 centimetres long, and weighs about 20 grammes. She will lay several clutches each year- sea turtles can lay up to 200 eggs a year!
Turtles and tortoises need to lay a large number of eggs because very few will survive to hatch into babies. Do you know why? It is because; the eggs are stolen by other animals like hedgehogs, squirrels, rats, foxes, as well as by birds and human beings!