Olive Ridley
Common Name: Olive ridley - named for its olive green colored shell
Scientific Name: Lepidochelys olivaceaf
Status: U.S. - Listed as Threatened (likely to become endangered, in danger of extinction, within the foreseeable future) under the U.S. Federal Endangered Species Act.
International - Listed as Endangered (facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
Range: Live in tropical regions of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
Size: Adults measure 24 to 28 inches (62-70 cm) in carapace length.
Weight: between 77 and 100 pounds (35-45 kg).
Characteristics: Head is quite small. Carapace is bony without ridges and has large scutes (scales) present. Carapace has 6 or more lateral scutes and is nearly circular and smooth. Its body is deeper than the very similar Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle. Both the front and rear flippers have 1 or 2 visible claws. There is sometimes an extra claw on the front flippers. Juveniles are charcoal grey in color, while adults are a dark grey green. Hatchlings are black when wet with greenish sides.
Habitat: They typically forage off shore in surface waters or dive to depths of 500 feet (150 m) to feed on bottom dwelling crustaceans.
Diet: Have powerful jaws that help them to eat fish, crabs, clams, mussels, and shrimp.
Nesting: Nest every year in arribadas. Nests 2 times each season. Lays an average of over 105 eggs in each nest. Eggs incubate for about 55 days.
Population Estimate*: 800,000 nesting females.
* Please understand that world wide population numbers for sea turtle species do not exist and that these are estimates of the number of nesting females based on nesting beach monitoring reports and publications from the early to mid 1990s.
Source: CCCTurtle.Org
|
|
