The Atlantic or Kemp’s Ridley Turtle is amongst the smallest marine turtle in the world with an average length of approximately 2 ft (65 cm). Unfortunately it is also the rarest sea turtle and is critically endangered due to Marine Environment Threats (commercial fisheries, oil and gas exploration, marine debris), and Nesting Threats (increased human presence, human interference, poaching, beach erosion, artificial lighting, predators and so forth. read more…
Today the Kemp's Ridley population appears to be in the early stages of recovery thanks to human intervention and conservation efforts lead by USA and Mexico – Kemp´s Ridley turtles may be removed from the endangered species list in the not too distant future…
On average every two year cycles, females come ashore to lay several clutches of eggs each season. The males spend their entire lives at sea once they have hatched. Highly migratory animals, they often travel hundreds of kilometers (miles) to reach their nesting beach, which is usually the same beach where they were born. Kemp's Ridley are the only turtles which nest in the daytime.
Kemp's Ridley turtles feed on crabs, jellyfish, fish, squid, snails, starfish and a variety of other marine invertebrates, as well as some seaweed. The Kemp's Ridley have distinctive heart-shaped shells that range in color from gray to olive to black. Their bellies are white (juveniles) to yellowish (adults).
Kemp's Ridley live in large estuaries, lagoons, bays and shallow coastal areas in the Gulf of Mexico, but immature turtles, probably carried by the currents, often appear along the Atlantic coast, as far north as Nova Scotia and New England.
Today the Kemp's Ridley population appears to be in the early stages of recovery thanks to human intervention and conservation efforts lead by USA and Mexico – Kemp´s Ridley turtles may be removed from the endangered species list in the not too distant future…
On average every two year cycles, females come ashore to lay several clutches of eggs each season. The males spend their entire lives at sea once they have hatched. Highly migratory animals, they often travel hundreds of kilometers (miles) to reach their nesting beach, which is usually the same beach where they were born. Kemp's Ridley are the only turtles which nest in the daytime.
Kemp's Ridley turtles feed on crabs, jellyfish, fish, squid, snails, starfish and a variety of other marine invertebrates, as well as some seaweed. The Kemp's Ridley have distinctive heart-shaped shells that range in color from gray to olive to black. Their bellies are white (juveniles) to yellowish (adults).
Kemp's Ridley live in large estuaries, lagoons, bays and shallow coastal areas in the Gulf of Mexico, but immature turtles, probably carried by the currents, often appear along the Atlantic coast, as far north as Nova Scotia and New England.
No comments:
Post a Comment