Creature Feature – Olive Ridley Sea Turtle
This week is the letter ‘O’, and today’s featured creature is the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle.
This species is one of the smallest species of sea turtle and are named as such due to the olive green colour of their heart-shaped shell.
Taxonomy
Scientific Name: Lepidochelys olivacea
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: Testudines
Family: Cheloniidae
Genus: Lepidochelys
Olive Ridley Sea Turtle Fact File
Size: Individuals can reach about 61cm in carapace length and weigh up to 45kg
Distribution: This species can be found throughout our world’s oceans
Diet: Omnivorous, they feed on a wide variety of food items, including algae, lobster, crabs, and molluscs
Behaviour: This species, and the related Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, are best known for their unique synchronised mass nestings called arribadas, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs
IUCN Status: Vulnerable. They are currently the most abundant of all sea turtles however they nest in a very small number of places, and therefore any disturbance to even one nest beach could have huge repercussions on the entire population. In addition, bycatch in fishing gear and the direct harvest of turtles and eggs are the threaten the species
