Olive Ridley Turtle

The Pacific
Olive Ridley Turtle

Marco Antonio Mejia Zetina

animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/olive-ridley-sea-turtle

  

Description and 

Ecology

 The Olive Ridley Turtle considered the most abundant sea turtle in the world. The researchers had hard time distinguished between Olive Ridley Turtles and Loggerhead Turtles; due to this misperception. The data that has been collected led to an inaccurate distribution and breeding records. The Olive Ridley Turtle is small in size compared to other Sea Turtles, researchers Nishimura and Frazier data showed the “hard shell length is between 60cm and 70cm. Males have a longer and narrowed shell, while the Females has a round and higher shell.” 

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man: 

Due to the small size the Olive Ridley Turtle hardly weight over 50 kg. During the research (Frazier 1983) recorded that adult females that were captured off the Oaxaca Mexico weighed an average of 35.45 kg. Since Females weight more than males, males came at an average 33kg. Adults males are more sexually, also males have a longer and thicker tail than females. Also you can tell a male from a female base on the tails because males have a longer and thicker tails than females. The Olive Ridley Turtle got the named for the largely greenish color of its skin and shell. The hatchlings are black with some greenish on the side, the adolescent have a grey color but turn into olive green ones they are adult. 

Comparing the tail sizes of female (left) and male (right) turtles

http://borbl426-526.blogspot.com/2014_01_01_archive.html

The Olive Ridley Turtle have an average life span off 50 years, over the years researchers thought that the Olive Ridley Turtles were vegetarian. New research has brought up and it show that the “Olive Ridley Turtles diet includes two types benthic which includes  bottom fish, crabs, oysters, sea urchins,  snails, sessile, shrimp and algae. The other type is pelagic which include jellyfish, medusae, salps, and pelagic red crabs.”(Marquez et al. 1967, http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/981201a.pdf)

Geographic and 
population changes

The Olive Ridley Turtle are highly migratory so is difficult to know exactly in which place they can be found and therefore to estimate the population is more difficult. Over the years researchers determined that the Olive Ridley Turtles can be found in the tropical regions of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Ocean. In the east of the Pacific Ocean the Olive Ridley Turtles can be found nesting from Mexico all the way to Central America. But the largest nesting occurs in the Indian Ocean. The population of the Olive Ridley turtles have been decreasing over time. Before 1960’s researchers estimated a minimum of 10 million Olive Ridley Turtles nested off the Pacific coast of Mexico. But this are just numbers in the tropical side off the Pacific Ocean. Due to the jurisdiction of the United States, researchers are only able to gather information for turtles that reside in the US. But even that is difficult because the population of Olive Ridley Turtles is really small and don’t usually stay on the US land. One way of researchers can know if the population is increasing or decreasing is when they are nesting. The US research team was able to team up with Mexico and most of the Central America to study the population of the Olive Ridley Turtles; because most of the nesting occur in the pacific coast of Mexico and Central America.

                                     Map

Olive Ridley Sea Turtle Range

animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/olive-ridley-sea-turtle/

Listing Date

The Olive Ridley Turtle was listed in 07/28/1978

Type of listing

 and Cause of listing

The Olive Ridley Turtles became listed are endanger because over the years the population has been declining in places where Olive Ridley Turtle nested.

Threats

The main threats to the Olive Ridley Turtles:

·         Bycatch in fisheries (i.e. long lines, primarily, trawls, gill nets, purse seines, hook and line, specifically in Central America and the Indian Ocean)

·     increased of Human Presence

·     collection of turtle eggs

·      killing turtles and coastal construction

(http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/981201a.pdf)

Recovery Plan 

·          changes to fishing practices

·          Eliminate directed take of turtles and         their eggs

·          increased enforcement of laws                     protecting turtles

·          Protect and manage nesting habitats.

(http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/981201a.pdf)