Reproduction

Nesting takes place from April to July for the Kemp’s Ridley turtle.

Females will return to the nest site where they themselves hatched years earlier. Groups of females will gather offshore before coming onshore together. This means many of their nests will also hatch together. They are the only marine turtle species which will nest during the day.

These mass movements to the shore are known as an arribada which means “arrival” in Spanish.

It is thought that this method will overwhelm predators and allow more of the hatchlings to reach the water when they hatch.

Eggs are laid in the sand which females will dig in to with their flippers. Each female lays around 100 eggs. These incubate for 50-60 days.

After hatching the hatchlings will make their own way to the surface and then out to the water where they swim rapidly offshore. They will shelter among algae where they can rest and feed for the first 1-2 years of life.

These juveniles are colored black at hatching.

Hatchlings are able to find the ocean by moving away from the shadow of the dunes or vegetation and heading for the brightest horizon.

Sexual maturity is reached at 13 years old.

Behavior

Each year populations of Kemp’s Ridley turtles undertake a migration.

As a marine reptile the Kemp’s Ridley turtle can not breathe underwater and must come to the surface often to take a breath.

Outside of the nesting season the Kemp’s Ridley turtle is solitary.

Predators and Threats

Natural predators of the Kemp’s Ridley turtle include foxes, weasels and racoons.

Kemp’s Ridley turtles are believed to be the rarest species of marine turtle.

A range of threats are faced by the kemp’s Ridley turtle. These include by-catch in fisheries, boat strikes, cold stunning events, harvesting, pollution and climate change. Loss and degradation of their nesting habitat can inhibit breeding.

Recent changes to the design of fishing gear has helped to reduce by-catch for this species.

Across much of their range they are afforded legal protection meaning no legal trade in this species is recognized.

Hatchlings may miss the water and head for the land as they are attracted to artificial light sources which they mistake for the horizon.

Currently around 22,000 adult Kemp’s Ridley turtles are believed to be part of the population.

Quick facts

This species is also known as the Atlantic Ridley Turtle.

Kemp’s Ridley turtles were named for the fisherman Richard M. Kemp who first submitted the species to be identified during 1906.

They are the smallest species of marine turtle.

Until the 1940s it was believed that the Kemp’s Ridley turtle was a hybrid of other sea turtle species. The discovery of their nesting site helped to confirm them as their own species.