Lepidochelys olivacea
(Eschscholtz, 1829)
Vernacular names
English : Olive Ridley sea turtle
French : Tortue olivâtre
Classification
Class : Reptilia
Order : Testudines
Family : Cheloniidae
Notes : No subspecies known.
Identification
Adults can grow to a shell length of about 61 cm. Shell smooth, dorsally flattened, heart-shaped and usually light olive brown to cream-olive. Head and flippers are same color. Juveniles are grey with three small dorsal keels.
Range and habitat
The species nests on beaches in tropical areas around the world. It is found in most major oceans and seas in tropical and subtropical areas. Lives in shallow areas in tropical and subtropical seas, near coast.
Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : VULNERABLE
CITES : Appendix I
Status : The species has been steadily declining because of pollution and habitat loss (especially breeding beaches). Often drowns by entanglement in gill nets.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known
Observation
