Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea)

What They Look Like
They have an olive-colored shell that is flat-topped and has sloping sides. Olive Ridley sea turtles are small, usually weighing less than 100lbs. Olive Ridleys look similar to their sister species, the Kemp's Ridley.

Where to See Them
Olive Rideys can be found in tropical regions around the globe inhabiting both coastal regions and the open ocean. Specifically, they are found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, along the Atlantic coast of West Africa and the Atlantic coast of South America. In the Eastern Pacific they occur from Southern California to Northern Chile.

What They Eat
Olive Ridley sea turtles in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific eat mostly crabs, shrimp, rock lobsters, jellyfish, and tunicates. However, in some other parts of the world their principal food is algae.

How They Nest
Female olive ridleys, like Kemp ridleys, arrive on shore in large colonies, up to a thousand turtles, forming large nesting aggregations called ‘arribadas' (Spanish for "the arrived").

Status and Threats
Olive Ridley sea turtles are listed as threatened, with the exception of the population that nests in Mexico, which is endangered. The decline of this species is primarily due to capture in commercial fisheries, loss of nesting habitat and the direct harvest of adults and eggs.