![]() ![]() The Kemp’s ridley turtle is listed as endangered as a result of human consumption and mortality from commercial fisheries. Kemp’s ridley turtles in Georgia waters are most likely susceptible to the same hazards as other species including incidental capture and drowning in the shrimp trawl fishery, collision with recreational and commercial boats, fishing line entanglements, and habitat loss. In Georgia, strandings typically begin in April and continue through the summer, peaking in June and July and tapering off into early November. In 2009, over 20,000 Kemp’s ridley nests were documented on beaches in Mexico. As a result of conservation efforts, nesting has increased steadily over the last 20 years. Shrimp trawling is thought to be the major source of mortality, although longlines, gillnets and trap/pot gear are also responsible for some mortality. Nesting beaches were protected from poaching in 1966 and egg loss is no longer a major concern. Population declines were attributed to egg collection for human consumption and incidental capture and drowning in commercial fisheries. By 1990, approximately 200 females were recorded nesting annually in Mexico. An amateur film shot in 1947 shows an estimated 42,000 female Kemp’s ridleys on the beach in one day during an arribada. Nesting records suggest the Kemp’s ridley population sustained a dramatic decline beginning in the late 1940s. A few records exist of Kemp’s ridleys found in the mid-Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. Survey RecommendationsĪdult ridleys are found primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, but juveniles have been observed foraging along the U.S. The oceanic phase is hypothesized to last approximately 2 years. Post hatchlings and juveniles can be found associated with sargassum weed mats in convergence zones in the Gulf of Mexico. A single Kemp’s ridley nest was documented in Georgia on Wassaw Island in 2005. coast, although nesting outside the Gulf of Mexico is rare. Kemp’s ridleys have been documented nesting along the southeastern U.S. Eggs hatch after 50-60 days of incubation. Clutch size averages approximately 100 eggs. Large groups of females congregate off the nesting beach and come ashore in waves, often during the day. Kemp’s ridleys nest in aggregations known as “arribadas”. The nesting season runs from April through mid-July, with individual females nesting every 1-3 years. Kemp's ridleys nest almost exclusively on the beaches of Rancho Nuevo on the Mexican gulf coast. Kemp’s ridley sea turtles consume blue, stone, and spider crabs, moon snails, and a number of other invertebrates and plants. Post-hatchlings and small juveniles are found in pelagic habitats until they reach approximately 20 cm carapace length (8 in.), when they move into coastal habitat Diet They are the second most abundant species after loggerheads. ![]() In Georgia, juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtles are common in estuaries during the months of April through October. Kemp’s ridley turtles prefer shallow coastal waters where food is abundant. Kemp’s ridley turtles can be distinguished from the olive ridley, a similar species primarily found in the Pacific Ocean, by examining the lateral scutes: Kemp’s ridley turtles have 5 lateral scutes, whereas Olive ridleys have 6 or more lateral scales. Each bridge scute on a Kemp’s ridley contains a conspicuous pore that is unique to this genus. Overall color, carapace shape (round in Kemp’s, elongated in loggerheads), and the absence of barnacles and other carapace-encrusting organisms are usually sufficient for separating Kemp’s ridleys from loggerhead sea turtles. The foremost costal scute on each side of the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle carapace touches the nuchal scute, distinguishing it from hawsbill and green sea turtles. Similar SpeciesĪlthough belonging to different genera, green, loggerhead, and hawksbill sea turtles are superficially similar in appearance to Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. The color of the ventral surface of the turtle, including the plastron, is cream to white. The shell, head, and flippers have a gray to grayish-green hue. The carapace is relatively flat and round. Adult carapace length is 58-70 cm (23-28 in), and average weight is 41 kg (90 lbs). The Kemp's ridley turtle is the smallest of the sea turtle species found worldwide. ![]()
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