Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle

While no sea turtle is little, the Kemp’s Ridley Turtle is the smallest species of sea turtle, with adults only two feet in length and weighing less than a hundred pounds. However, it is not only its small size that makes the Kemp’s Ridley Turtle unique. These species of turtle exhibits one of the most unique synchronized nesting habits as they collectively gather in a particular nesting beach near Rancho Nuevo Mexico (portrayed by the red circle on the map). They do this once a year in masses; this ritual is known as an “arribada” and its trigger is unknown although theories point to offshore winds, lunar cycles and pheromone release. Regardless of its cause, it occurs from May until July every year as females lay two to three clutches of 100 eggs. Like the Asian Tapir, they change color as they mature. Initially, they are grey and black but that dark pigment changes as they develop into a yellow-green, white or grey-green coloring. They reach maturity between 10-12 years and live to be 50 years old. They spend this lifespan in the neritic zones of the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula and southern Florida where they find their diet of swimming crabs, fish, jellyfish and mollusks. 

In 1947, there was an amateur video (below) documenting one of the primary reasons for the decline of the Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle. The video shows an estimated 42,000 ridleys nesting during that single day. However, it also shows 80% of those nests being collected and transported to local villages. Twenty years later, the largest arribada was just 5,000 females. Within the following twenty years (1971-1991), there were only arribadas of 700 turtles. However, it is believed that the turtles are in recovery from those lows. Yet the species remains listed as “Critically Endangered” by the IUCN Red List for a myriad of reasons. The most historical of these reasons remains the harvest of eggs by humans but the protection of the species under official and legal restraints have limited this threat. The species is primarily threatened by accidental capture within commercial fishing lines. They also suffer from the consequences of oil spills and pollution. 

As an adult, the turtle has no predators. As eggs and baby sea turtles, they act as a prey species to the birds, crabs, and mammal species of the area. Once mature, the Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle acts as an apex predator to the ecosystem as they consume crabs, fish, jellyfish and mollusks. Throughout the course of their lives, they act both as a food source and a consumer of other species. Without the Kemp’s Ridley Sea turtle, the large range of their habitat would suffer. Some species would suffer from the loss of a food source and face a decline in their numbers as a result. Other species would lose a population controller and face overpopulation. Those species are generally consumers of primary producers such as plants, plankton and algae. With an overpopulation of crabs, fish, jellyfish and mollusks, those primary producers would be in shorter supply and unable to feed other species as well. Overall, the Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle keeps the ecosystem appropriately fed and, without it, the system would fall apart.

 

The efforts to preserve the Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle have long historical precedent. Since 1966, there have been conservation efforts for the species on their nesting beach near Rancho Nuevo. In 1978, the U.S. joined the Mexico’s effort to help the species by creating their own protected nesting beach. The Mexican government also prohibits the harvesting and sell of the turtles. However, many of the conservation efforts include moving the nests to a protected area which creates complications for the eggs, such as disease and movement-induced mortality. The NOAA Fisheries and USFWS have implemented an extensive recovery program to help them as well.

Ways to Help:

1. Be sure to buy seafood that are caught from companies that use sustainable seafood practices (more information can be found here)
2. Donate to the World Wildlife Fund to help them protect sea turtles and continue conservation efforts.
3. Recycle! Sea turtles often eat trash found in their habitats by accident and suffer.
4. Reduce the amount of gasoline you use! The increased demand for gasoline and oil contributes to the oil spills hurting all species of marine life including the Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle.
5. When visiting beaches, make sure to be aware of any marine life and respect their habitats. While many of the Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle's nests are in protected areas, not all are and their habitat covers many popular vacation areas.