In each bridge adjoining the plastron to the carapace are four inframarginal scutes, each of which is perforated by a pore. Kemp’s ridleys are primarily caught in trawls, gillnets, longlines, hook and lines, pot/traps, and dredges in the Gulf of Mexico and northwest Atlantic. These remarkable turtles were part of a group of 16 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles admitted to the Animal Rescue Program this past fall after being found cold-stunned on Cape Cod, MA. After seven months of intensive care, Dutton and Argo were ready to return to their ocean home. Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are primarily found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the U.S. However, their range is not limited to these areas, as occasional sightings have been reported in the Azores, Morocco and the Mediterranean Sea, according to NOAA Fisheries. Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is one of two sea turtles in the genus Lepidochelys.

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With surges in nesting numbers generally occurring every three years, Skoruppa is hopeful 2023 will be a record-breaking year. Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles swim as far south as the Yucatán Peninsula and as far north as North Carolina. Unlike land turtles, these sea turtles cannot retract their legs or flippers back into their shells. Females use their hind flippers to dig into the sand and make nests for their eggs. The Kemp’s Ridley Turtle’s scientific name is Lepidochelys kempii, but it’s also known as the Atlantic Ridley Sea Turtle.

Habitat destruction dramatically reduces the number of Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles on the planet. Beach development can prevent these turtles from nesting in their traditional habitat. Invasive species like pigs that accompanied people to the coast (intentionally and unintentionally) eat turtle eggs. We are working with fishermen to make squid, shrimp, and sea scallop gear less likely to capture sea turtles. Because sea turtles spend most of their life at sea and out of sight, information learned from strandings are an important way for us to identify and monitor problems that threaten sea turtle populations.

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Nesting turtles may come to shore several times in a nesting season to repeat the process. The largest sea turtle is the leatherback, whose carapace (shell) is around 1.75 m (5.7 ft.) in length (this measurement includes the curve of the carapace). The only time a female sea turtle comes ashore is when it lays its eggs. After hatching and making its way into the sea, a male sea turtle will never again return to the land. Sea turtles make incredible migrations, with some species crossing entire ocean basins. Research shows that sea turtles can sense the strength and direction of the sun and Earth’s magnetic field, which gives them a sense of where they are in the world.

Changes in the temperature of the marine environment are likely to alter the abundance and distribution of food resources, leading to a shift in the migratory and foraging range and nesting season of green turtles. Studying sea turtles is a difficult task as these animals spend almost the entirety of their lives beneath the ocean surface. It is mostly hatchlings and nesting females that spend any portion on land. As technology has improved over the years, researchers have been able to observe some of the mysterious undertakings of turtles at sea, but we are far from having all the answers. A variety of human actions have impacted sea turtles’ habitats and lives. Besides the direct hunting of sea turtles and their eggs, there are also indirect impacts from fishing, pollution, beach development, and climate change. Loss of significant numbers of sea turtles affects their valuable ecological role in the environment.

The species is named for Richard Kemp, a fisherman who helped discover and describe the species. Kemp’s ridley is the least common sea turtle species in the world’s ocean—there are only about https://saveloraturtles.org/ 2,500 nesting females. This small population mainly nests in a single area—the beach at Rancho Nuevo on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico in eastern Mexico. The species is the only sea turtle to regularly nest mostly during the daytime. Kemp’s ridley turtles are mainly found in waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the northwest Atlantic. Like the olive ridley, the Kemp’s ridley is a comparatively small sea turtle species with carapaces about 2 feet (0.6 m) long and a weight of about 70 to 100 pounds (32 to 45 kg).

Females will lay two to three clutches each season, with 100 eggs per clutch. The sex of the hatchlings is determined by the temperature of the nest. On this page you’ll find out all about the life cycle of this amazing marine reptile. You’ll also discover some of the threats currently faced by the species. The IUCN lists Kemp’s Ridley turtles under the ‘Critically Endangered’ (CR) category of the Red List, whereas they have received Federal protection under the Endangered Species Act since 1970. They primarily feed on small fishes, mollusks, coelenterates, crustaceans like floating crabs and shrimps, and benthic vegetation like algae and seaweeds. Depending on their breeding strategy, male Kemp’s ridleys appear to occupy many different areas within the Gulf of Mexico.