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Kemp's Ridley Turtle Lepidochelys kempi
Also known as the Atlantic Ridley turtle, this is the smallest marine turtle, and also the most threatened, largely as a result of its unusual breeding behavior. Unlike most marine turtles, Kemp’s Ridleys lay their eggs by day, and the females crawl out of the sea simultaneously, during mass nestings called arribadas (Spanish for “arrivals”). At one time, these nestings took place throughout the turtle’s range, but because the eggs were laid in such large concentrations in daylight, they were easy prey for human egg-harvesters and natural predators. Today, the vast majority of Kemp’s Ridleys breed on a single beach in Mexico, where their nests are protected. These turtles were also often caught as bycatch in shrimp nets, but turtle excluding devices (TEDs) fitted to nets have helped to reduce this threat. Several weeks after an arribada, young Kemp’s Ridleys emerge from their eggs in the thousands to make the dangerous journey down the beach and into the relative safety of the sea.
The adults are carnivorous bottom-feeders that mainly hunt crabs. They have an unusually broad carapace, and their small size makes them agile swimmers. The carapace changes color with age: yearlings are often almost black, while adults are light olive-gray. A closely related species, the olive Ridley turtle (L. olivacea), lives throughout the tropics. It is much less endangered than the Kemp’s Ridley, thanks to its wider distribution.
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- Order Chelonia
- Length 20–35 in (50–90 cm)
- Weight 55–90 lb (25–40 kg)
- Habitat Coral reefs, coasts
- Distribution Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, occasionally as far north as New England
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