Species Fact Sheet: Olive Ridley Sea Turtle

Common Name: Olive ridley

Named for its olive green colored shell.

Scientific Name: Lepidochelys olivacea

Description: 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.

Size: Adults measure 2 to 2.5 feet (62-70 cm) in carapace length.

Weight: Adults weigh between 77 and 100 pounds (35-45 kg).

Diet: Have powerful jaws that allow for an omnivore diet of crustaceans (suach as shrimp & crabs), mollusks, tunicates, fish, crabs, and shrimp.

Habitat: Generally found in coastal bays and estuaries, but can be very oceanic over some parts of its range. They typically forage off shore in surface waters or dive to depths of 500 feet (150 m) to feed on bottom dwelling crustaceans.

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. An average clutch size is over 110 eggs which require a 52 to 58 day incubation period.

Range: The olive ridley inhabits tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans.

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.

Threats to Survival: Direct harvest of adults and eggs, incidental capture in commercial fisheries and loss of nesting habitat are the main threats to this species

Population Estimate: 800,000 nesting females.

Worldwide Distribution of Olive Ridley Sea Turtle

Source: Center for Marine Conservation, 1981