Olive Ridley Sea Turtle

Lepidochelys olivacea

The olive ridley sea turtle, Lepidochelys olivacea, is a small to medium sea turtle with an olive-gray, heart-shaped shell and a broad tropical range. It is closely associated with arribadas, the mass nesting events where thousands of females may come ashore on the same beach over a short period. Outside nesting season, olive ridleys spend much of their lives at sea, feeding on crabs, shrimp, jellyfish, mollusks, and other marine prey. Solitary nesting also occurs, so not every beach follows the same pattern.

Human stewardship centers on nesting beaches, fisheries, and rescue response. Conservation teams patrol beaches, reduce artificial light, protect nests from poaching or trampling, and use hatcheries only where natural incubation is unsafe. Fisheries work includes turtle excluder devices, bycatch monitoring, and safer handling of accidentally caught turtles. Injured animals may enter marine wildlife rehabilitation, but long-term captivity is uncommon. Good records of nesting dates, clutch success, strandings, and tag returns help managers understand population trends.