Kemp’s ridley sea turtle

Meet the smallest and rarest sea turtle in the world

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region

If you are looking for the world’s smallest and rarest sea turtle, you might want to meet Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. It has a round, olive-green shell and a white or yellowish belly. It also has a hooked beak and large eyes that help it find its prey.

Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are mostly found in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coast of North America, but they can also swim as far as Europe and Africa. They feed on crabs, fish, mollusks, and other marine animals. They are famous for their synchronized nesting behavior, where thousands of females come ashore at the same time and place to lay their eggs. This phenomenon is called an arribada, which means “arrival” in Spanish.

Distribution

Country
Population est.
Status
Year
Comments
Atlantic Ocean
2019
Gulf of Mexico
2019
Mediterranean Sea
2019
Bermuda
2019
Non-Breeding
Canada
2019
Breeding
France
2019
Non-Breeding
Ireland
2019
Non-Breeding
Mexico
2019
Portugal
2019
Non-Breeding
United Kingdom
2019
Non-Breeding
United States
2019

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Terrestrial / Aquatic

Altricial / Precocial

Polygamous / Monogamous

Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic

Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal

Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd

Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore

Migratory: Yes / No

Domesticated: Yes / No

Dangerous: Yes / No