Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle- One of the Last Two of its Genus

Credit: NOAA

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle

Lepidochelys kempii

By: Evany Wang

Description and Ecology of Organism

Weighing in at approximately 32-49kg and measuring in at 60-65cm the Kemp's Ridley is considered to be the smallest of all the extant sea turtles. One distinct characteristic of this species is the distinct changes that the coloration develops throughout its lifespan. At birth, they start out with grey-black dorsum and plastron. When they grow into their juvenile stage, the coloration changes to grey-black dorsum with yellow-white plastron. Finally, as adults, their coloration matures into a light grey-olive carapace with cream-white plastron. They have a very limited distribution; nesting only occurs along the western Gulf of Mexico, Veracruz, and Texas, and infrequently in other U.S. states.

http://seaturtleexploration.com/explore-and-learn/sea-turtle-facts/kemps-ridley/

Geographic and Population Changes

Historically, nesting has been reported to be in south Texas, although nesting is now being seen infrequently in other U.S. states as well as Texas. Second most frequently, though, the Kemp's Ridleys occur along the Gulf of Mexico, Northwest Atlantic Ocean, Northeast Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea. In 1947, the adult female population was estimated to be 40,000+; however, in approximately three decades, the population had declined to 924 nests to 702 nests in 1985.With optimism, since the mid-1980s, the population has increased by 15% per year. In recent years, the population has been steadily increasing and population models predict a 12-16% increase per year. These numbers are based on Rancho Nuevo, Tepehuajes, and Playa Dos as the primary nesting beaches (Hildebrand 1963, Carr 1963, Heppell et al. 2005)

Credit: The National Park Service

Listing Date and Type of Listing

On December 2nd, 1970, the ESA listed the Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle, Lepidochelys kempii, as endangered. On July 1st, 1975, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) listed the Kemp's Ridley on Appendix I, prohibiting all commercial international trade. Similarly, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists the Kemp's Ridley as Critically Endangered (ESA, CITES, IUCN)

Cause of Listing and Main Threats to its Continued Existence

The cause of listing and main threats are habitat destruction, erosion, pollution, and fisheries, to name a few. The erosion and pollution of their nesting beaches greatly reduces the amount of locations that the Kemp's Ridleys can reproduce. Sea turtles caught as bycatch are most often injured or killed. The sea turtles are often forcibly drowned or experience so much stress that it interrupts their biochemistry and causing biochemical reactions (ex. anaerobic glycolysis) that could lead to death. Reducing these nets is a key component to the recovery of the Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle.

Description of Recovery Plan

The Strategy:

• Maintain and strengthen previously successful conservation strategies
• On nesting beaches:
• reinforcing habitat protection efforts
• protecting nesting females
• maintaining or increasing hatchling production levels
• In the water:
• maintaining the use of TEDs in fisheries currently required to use them
• expanding TED-use to all trawl fisheries of concern
• reducing mortality in gillnet fisheries
• Increasing education and research on the Kemp's Ridley

Works Cited

"Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles, Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle Pictures, Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle Facts - National Geographic." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 June 2015.

"Kemp's Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys Kempii)." :: NOAA Fisheries. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 June 2015.

USA. ESA. Bi-National Recovery Plan for the Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle. ESA, 22 Sept. 2011. Web. 5 June 2015.

United States. National Park Service. "The Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle."National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 05 June 2015. Web. 06 June 2015.