Kemp's ridley sea turtle
Kemp's ridley sea turtle | |
---|---|
Lepidochelys kempii | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Testudines |
Suborder: | Cryptodira |
Superfamily: | Chelonioidea |
Family: | Cheloniidae |
Genus: | Lepidochelys |
Species: | L. kempii
|
Binomial name | |
Lepidochelys kempii (
Garman , 1880) | |
Synonyms | |
Kemp's ridley sea turtle[4] (Lepidochelys kempii), also called the Atlantic ridley sea turtle, is the rarest species of sea turtle and is the world's most endangered species of sea turtle. It is one of two living species in the genus Lepidochelys (the other one being L. olivacea, the olive ridley sea turtle). The species primarily occupies habitat around the Gulf of Mexico though their migrations into the Atlantic are being affected by rising temperatures.[5][6] Kemp's ridley sea turtles are currently listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and current conservation efforts attempt to rebuild population numbers.[7] Human activity, including but not limited to habitat destruction, climate change, and oil spills, threaten populations.[8][9]
Taxonomy
This species of turtle is called Kemp's ridley because Richard Moore Kemp (1825–1908) of
At least one source also refers to Kemp's ridley as a "heartbreak turtle". In her book The Great Ridley Rescue, Pamela Philips claimed the name was coined by fishermen who witnessed the turtles dying after being "turned turtle" (on their backs). The fishermen said the turtles "died of a broken heart".[12][13]
Description
Kemp's ridley is the smallest of all sea turtle species, reaching maturity at 58–70 cm (23–28 in) carapace length and weighing only 36–45 kg (79–99 lb). The adult's oval carapace is almost as wide as it is long and is usually olive-gray in color. The carapace has five pairs of costal scutes. In each bridge adjoining the plastron to the carapace are four inframarginal scutes, each of which is perforated by a pore. The head has two pairs of prefrontal scales.
These turtles change color as they mature. As hatchlings, they are almost entirely a dark purple on both sides, but mature adults have a yellow-green or white
Kemp's ridley has a triangular-shaped head with a somewhat hooked beak with large crushing surfaces. The skull is similar to that of the
They are the only sea turtles that nest during the day.[18]
Distribution
The distribution of L. kempii is somewhat unusual compared to most reptiles, varying significantly among adults and juveniles, as well as males and females. Adults primarily live in the Gulf of Mexico, where they forage in the relatively shallow waters of the continental shelf (up to 409 m deep, but typically 50 m or less),[5] with females ranging from the southern coast of the Florida Peninsula to the northern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, while males have a tendency to remain closer to the nesting beaches in the Western Gulf waters of Texas (USA), Tamaulipas, and Veracruz (Mexico).[19] Adults of L. kempii are rarely found outside of the Gulf of Mexico and only 2-4%[22]: 101 p. from the Atlantic are adults.[19][22][20][21]
Juveniles and subadults, in contrast, regularly migrate into the Atlantic Ocean and occupy the coastal waters of the continental shelf of North America from southern Florida to
In November 2021 a male was found alive on Talacre beach in North Wales. The turtle was taken to the Anglesey Sea Zoo for treatment, with the intent of eventual transportation back to the Gulf of Mexico.[23]
Feeding and life history
Feeding
Kemp's ridley turtle feeds on
Life history
Most females return each year to a single beach—Rancho Nuevo in the
Juvenile turtles tend to live in floating sargassum seaweed beds for their first years.[18] Then, they range between northwest Atlantic waters and the Gulf of Mexico while growing into maturity.
They reach sexual maturity at the age of 10–12.[15]
This is the only species that nests primarily during the day.[31] The nesting season for these turtles is April to August. They nest mostly (95%) on a 16-mile beach in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas and on
-
Hatchling
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Hatchling
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Juvenile turtle
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Adult turtle nesting
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Nesting female returning to sea
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Deceased adult
Conservation
Kemp's ridley sea turtle is currently listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).[7] Egg harvesting and poaching first depleted the numbers of Kemp's ridley sea turtles,[22] but today, major threats include habitat loss, pollution, and entanglement in shrimping nets. Some major current conservation efforts are aimed towards habitat protection, reduction of bycatch, rescue and rehabilitation, and reduction of killing.[7]
Efforts to protect L. kempii began in 1966, when Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Biologico-Pesqueras (National Institute of Biological-Fisheries Research) sent biologists Hunberto Chávez, Martin Contreras, and Eduardo Hernondez to the coast of southern Tamaulipas, to survey and instigate conservation plans.
From 1947 to 1985, L. kempii nests experienced a sharp decline from an estimated 121,517 nests in 1947 to 702 nests in 1985 (decline of 99.4%), and have since been exponentially recovering until approximately 2011–2016, where another decline in nests occurred.[38] Nesting as of 2016 is estimated to be 9.9% of the nest estimate of 1947 .[38]
One mechanism used to protect turtles from fishing nets is the turtle excluder device (TED).[39] It is a grid of bars with an opening at the top or bottom, fitted into the neck of the shrimp trawl. It works by allowing small animals to slip through bars and get caught, while sea turtles strike the bars and are ejected through an escape hole on either the top or bottom of the device.[39] These mechanisms designs are controlled through federal regulations to ensure proper use.[39] There are multiple types of TED construction: oval grid, hooped, fixed angle, Super Shooter, Anthony Weedless, and flounder types.[39] Each design is adapted to be best suited for certain conditions/uses or vary by complexity of the design.[39]
In September 2007, Corpus Christi, Texas, wildlife officials found a record of 128 Kemp's ridley sea turtle nests on Texas beaches, including 81 on North Padre Island (Padre Island National Seashore) and four on Mustang Island. The figure was exceeded in each of the following 7 years (see graph to 2013, provisional figures for 2014 as at July, 118.[40]). Wildlife officials released 10,594 Kemp's ridley hatchlings along the Texas coast in 2007.[41] The turtles are popular in Mexico as raw material for boots and as food.[41]
In July 2020, five rehabilitated turtles were released back in to Cape Cod with satellite tracking devices to monitor their wellbeing.[42] A 2020 rescue mission to save 30 turtles from the freezing seas of Cape Cod was delayed by weather and technical issues, spurring a temporary rescue mission en route between Massachusetts and New Mexico. The Tennessee Aquarium offered overnight shelter and care, and the turtles were eventually released to the sea.[43] These cold-stunning events may become more common with rising sea temperatures, as juveniles linger in near-shore waters in the American Northeast and are subjected to late-season storms.[9]
Oil spills
Some Kemp's ridleys were airlifted from Mexico after the 1979 blowout of the
Since April 30, 2010, 10 days after the accident on the Deepwater Horizon, 156 sea turtle deaths were recorded; most were Kemp's ridleys.[citation needed] Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologists and enforcement agents rescued Kemp's ridleys in Grand Isle.[44][citation needed] Most of the 456 oiled turtles that were rescued, cleaned, and released by the US Fish and Wildlife Service were Kemp's ridleys.[8]
Of the endangered marine species frequenting Gulf waters, only Kemp's ridley relies on the region as its sole breeding ground.[45]
As part of the effort to save the species from some of the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, scientists took nests and incubated them elsewhere; 67 eggs were collected from a nest along the Florida Panhandle on June 26, 2010, and brought to a temperature-controlled warehouse at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, where 56 hatched,[citation needed] and 22 were released on 11 July 2010.[46]
The overall plan was to collect eggs from about 700 sea turtle nests, incubate them, and release the young on beaches across Alabama and Florida over a period of months.[46][47] Eventually, 278 nests were collected, including only a few Kemp's ridley nests.[48]
References
- . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ^ Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter. (2007). Checklist of Chelonians of the World. Vertebrate Zoology 57 (2): 149-368. (Lepidochelys kempii, pp. 168-169).
- doi:10.3854/crm.5.000.checklist.v3.2010. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2015-01-07.
- ^ a b Fritts, T. H., W. Hoffman, and M. A. McGehee. 1983. The distribution and abundance of marine turtles in the Gulf of Mexico and nearby Atlantic waters. Journal of Herpetology 17: 327-344.
- ^ a b Griffin LP, Griffin CR, Finn JT, Prescott RL, Faherty M, et al. (2019) Warming seas increase cold-stunning events for Kemp’s ridley sea turtles in the northwest Atlantic. PLOS ONE 14(1): e0211503. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0211503
- ^ a b c Fisheries, NOAA (2022-09-15). "Kemp's Ridley Turtle | NOAA Fisheries". NOAA. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
- ^ a b Masti, Ramit (June 1, 2011). "Nesting turtles give clues on oil spill's impact". Fox News. Associated Press. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
- ^ PMID 30695074. e0211503.
- ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Lepidochelys kempii, p. 139).
- ^ Dundee, Harold A. (2001). "The Etymological Riddle of the Ridley Sea Turtle". Marine Turtle Newsletter. 58: 10–12. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Help Endangered Animals - Ridley Turtles. Gulf Office of the Sea Turtle Restoration Project. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
- ISBN 0-87842-229-3.
- ^ ISBN 0-395-19977-8(paperback). (Lepidochelys kempi, pp. 75-76 + Plate 11).
- ^ a b "Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles, Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle Pictures, Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle Facts". National Geographic. Retrieved 2013-10-13.
- .
- PMID 23144831.
- ^ a b c "Kemp's Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) - Office of Protected Resources - NOAA Fisheries". NOAA Fisheries. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8018-86119
- ^ a b c Wilson, Robert V. and George R. Zug. 1991. Lepidochelys kempii. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 509.1-509.8 pp.
- ^ ISBN 1-888089-23-7
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8018-9121-2
- ^ "Rare turtle washes up on UK beach 4,000 miles from home". BBC News. 4 December 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
- ^ Burke VJ, Morreale SJ, Standora EA (1994). "Diet of the Kemp's ridley sea turtle, Lepidochelys kempii, in New York waters". NOAA NMFS Fishery Bulletin. Retrieved Dec 20, 2015.
- ^ JSTOR 1564592.
- ISSN 0022-0981.
- ^ a b meridian.allenpress.com https://meridian.allenpress.com/journal-of-herpetology/article/52/3/252/197809/Comparing-Diets-of-Kemp-s-Ridley-Sea-Turtles. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Pritchard, Peter (1969). "Studies of the systematics and reproduction of the genus Lepidochelys ". Ph.D. Dissertation – via University of Florida, Gainesville.
- ISBN 9780801886119– via Google Books.
- S2CID 87132388.
- ^ "Kemp's Ridleys". SEE Turtles. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
- ^ "Sea Turtle Recovery Project". National Park Service. March 9, 2010. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Christi, Mailing Address: P. O. Box 181300 Corpus; Isl, TX 78480 Phone: 361 949-8068 This is the primary phone number for the Malaquite Visitor Center at Padre; Us, National Seashore Contact. "Kemp's ridley sea turtles - Padre Island National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ ISBN 978-0-80188611-9
- ^ "Endangered Species Act (ESA) :: NOAA Fisheries". Nmfs.noaa.gov. 2013-08-08. Retrieved 2013-10-13.
- ^ "Draft Bi-National Recovery Plan for the Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)" (PDF). nmfs.noaa.gov. Secretariat of Environment & Natural Resources Mexico, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Interior. September 19, 1984.
- ^ "2010 Threats Assessment, NOAA Fisheries". 18 August 2021.
- ^ ISSN 2150-8925.
- ^ a b c d e F., Mitchell, John; W., Watson, John; G., Foster, Daniel; E., Caylor, Robert (1995). "The Turtle Excluder Device (TED): A guide to better performance".
{{cite journal}}
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(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Current Sea Turtle Nesting Season". National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 25, 2015.
- ^ a b "Endangered turtle nests found in Texas". The Oklahoman. Corpus Christi Caller-Times. 4 September 2007. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ^ Engl, New; Aquarium (30 July 2020). "A Safe Send-Off for Sea Turtles". New England Aquarium. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
- ^ "Sea Turtles recovered from Oil Spill Gulf of Mexico". via Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. May 31, 2007. Archived from the original on October 23, 2016.
- ^ Kaufman, Leslie (May 18, 2010). "Gulf Oil Again Imperils Sea Turtle". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Macintosh, Zoe (July 16, 2010). "NASA Rescues Baby Sea Turtles Threatened by Gulf Oil Spill". Space.com. Purch. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
- ^ [1], centurylink.net, July 15, 2010 Archived July 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "NASA's turtle egg rescue from Gulf oil spill is deemed a success". NOLA. Associated Press. September 8, 2010. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
Further reading
- Garman S. (1800). On certain Species of Chelonioidæ. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Harvard College 6 (6): 123–126. (Thalassochelys kempii, new species, pp. 123–124).
- Marine Turtle Specialist Group (1996). "Lepidochelys kempii". . Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is critically endangered and the criteria used
- Sizemore, Evelyn (2002). ISBN 1-55622-896-1.
External links
- Profile Archived 2015-07-24 at the Ocean Biogeographic Information System
- Turtle Trax.org: Kemp's ridley sea turtle Profile
- Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island wiki Information on Kemp's ridley sea turtle
- Information from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
- Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept. — Kemp's ridley sea turtle