Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle
Lepidochelys kempii

Habitat and Biology:

illustration: M. Demma © ICRAM

Typical habitats: No data Migrations: Congregate to breed April to July before migrating either Northward to Mississippi area or Southwards to the Campeche Bank. Some continue on up the Eastern coast. They keep close to the coast. It seems likely that the turtles turn back towards the nesting areas when they reach juvenile size.

Nesting areas:

• Gulf of Mexico: usually inhabits sandy and muddy bottoms.
• Juveniles frequently found in bays, coastal lagoons and river mouths.

• April to late July.
• Mass nesting ('arribadas'), as huge numbers gather at daytime on windy days.

illustration: M. Demma © ICRAM

Nesting behaviour: 58% of females nest every year. Average number of layings per female is 1.5 per season. Most of the population nests on one beach 40 km long.

Egg number, size and weight:

• Mean number - 102
• Egg Size: 34 - 45mm; mass: 24 - 40g

illustration: M. Demma © ICRAM	Size and weight of hatchlings: 17.2 g with carapace length of 43.9 mm. Incubation time: 45 - 58 days
illustration: M. Demma © ICRAM	Maturity: 10 to 12 years (5 years in captivity)

illustration: M. Demma © ICRAM

Courtship and Mating: No data. Sex determination: No data. Hatching: No data.

Hatchling mortality and predation:

• Eggs eaten by coyotes, skunks, coates, ghost crabs.
• Hatchings killed by same predators plus birds, and at sea by larger fish eg. barracudas.

• Epibionts are rare - some barnacles.
• Fibropapillomae have been detected but only a few times per year during 23 years of a study (1989)

Molluscs	Crustaceans	Jellyfish	Urchins	Fish
Illustrations (except far right): M. Demma © ICRAM

• Carnivorous: eating crustaceans associated with sandy and muddy seabeds form largest part of stomach content.
• Also molluscs, sea urchins, jellyfish and fish.