Olive ridley turtle

Once slaughtered in the hundreds of thousands...

Common Name		Olive Ridley, Pacific Ridley; Ridley du Pacifique, tortue bâtarde, tortue de ridley, tortue olivâtre (Fr); Tortuga golfina, tortuga olivacea (Sp)
Scientific Name		Lepidochelys olivacea
Status		IUCN: Vulnerable (A2bd) CITES: Appendix I CMS: Appendix I and II
Population		Approx. 800,000 nesting females

Background

This information has been reviewed.

Once slaughtered in the hundreds of thousands for meat and leather, olive ridleys have yet to recover from centuries of over-exploitation. While the species has a wide range, the number of important breeding sites is very restricted, so efforts to protect their major beaches are vital.

The illegal harvest of their eggs in the Central American region continues, and there is also high mortality of adults due to coastal fisheries that do not yet use Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in their nets.

WWF is working to protect important olive ridley nesting colonies in India and South America, and is lobbying for turtle-friendly fishing practices around the world.

Physical Description

The olive ridley looks very similar to the Kemp's ridley, but has a deeper body and slightly up-turned edges to its carapace.

Recent genetic studies indicate that the genus of ridley turtles (Lepidochelys) split into two species, olive ridleys and Kemp's ridley, after the closing of the Isthmus of Panama. They are migratory, often travelling thousands of kilometres between feeding and nesting sites.

Size
The average length is 70 cm, and adults weigh approximately 45 kg.

Colour
Rusty coloured carapace.

Habitat

Nesting Range States
Angola, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Senegal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela.

Ecological Region
Southern Australian Marine, Benguela Current, Humboldt Current, Agulhas Current, Western Australia Marine, Gulf of California, Canary Current, Sulu-Sulawesi Seas, Bismarck-Solomon Seas, Banda-Flores Sea, Great Barrier Reef, Palau Marine, Andaman Sea, East African Marine, West Madagascar Marine, Mesoamerican Caribbean Reef, Greater Antillean Marine, Southern Caribbean Sea, Northeast Brazil Shelf Marine

Why is this species important?

Marine turtles fulfill important roles in marine ecosystems. Olive ridley turtles feed on invertebrates and may play important roles in both open ocean and coastal ecosystems.