Atlantic ridley

About this species

Kemp's ridley sea turtle, also called commonly the Atlantic ridley sea turtle, Kemp's ridley turtle, and Kemp's ridley, is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae. L. kempii is the rarest species of sea turtle and is the world's most endangered species of sea turtle as well as the smallest. It is one of two living species in the genus Lepidochelys. L. kempii primarily occupies habitat around the Gulf of Mexico, though its migrations into the Atlantic Ocean are being affected by rising temperatures. Rising sea temperatures expand this species' range, leaving them vulnerable to cold-shocking events when weather changes. Kemp's ridley sea turtle is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and conservation efforts are attempting to rebuild population numbers. Human activity, including habitat destruction, climate change, and oil spills, threatens populations.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Kemp's ridley sea turtle”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 45 records
February: 390 records
March: 88 records
April: 155 records
May: 207 records
June: 240 records
July: 344 records
August: 232 records
September: 79 records
October: 93 records
November: 155 records
December: 391 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 12–210 m · Deepest record: 280 m

0–10 m: 1 records
10–20 m: 10 records
20–30 m: 5 records
30–40 m: 7 records
40–50 m: 2 records
50–60 m: 3 records
60–70 m: 3 records
70–80 m: 2 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 1 records
110+ m: 9 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 12–28 °C

10–12 °C: 1 records
12–14 °C: 18 records
14–16 °C: 35 records
16–18 °C: 22 records
18–20 °C: 7 records
20–22 °C: 30 records
22–24 °C: 119 records
24–26 °C: 52 records
26–28 °C: 25 records

Photos

(c) Abby Darrah, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Tia Offner, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) JD Flores, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Rachel Stringham, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Ian Manning, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) CK2AZ, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

Names and classification

English: Atlantic ridley, Kemp's ridely, Kemp's ridley, Kemp's ridley sea turtle, Kemp's ridley turtle, Atlantic Ridley, Atlantic Ridley Sea Turtle, Gulf Ridley, Kemp's Loggerhead Turtle, kemps ridley, Kemp's Ridley, Kemp’s Ridley Seaturtle, Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle, Kemp’s ridley turtle, Kemp's Ridley turtle, Mexican Ridley

Names in 6 more languages

German: Atlantik-Bastardschildkröte, Karibische Bastardschildkröte, Kemps Bastardschildkröte, Kemps Schildkröte
Spanish: Cotorra, Lora, tortuga golfina, Tortuga Iora, Tortuga lora, Tortuga Marina Bastarda, Tortuga-marina escamosa-del Atlántico
French: Lépidochelyde de Kemp, Ridley de Kemp, tortue de Kemp, Tortue de Kemp, Tortue de Kemp (La)
Japanese: ケンプヒメウミガメ
Korean: 켐프각시바다거북
Simplified Chinese: 肯氏龜

Similar species

Olive ridely
Lepidochelys olivacea
Loggerhead
Caretta caretta
Green sea turtle
Chelonia mydas
Hawksbill turtle
Eretmochelys imbricata
Flatback turtle
Natator depressus

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
2,505 open-data records from 1913 to 2024.
Species data updated November 4, 2026.