Kemps Ridley Sea Turtle

Description:

During the months of April-August, Sea Turtle, Inc. on South Padre Island helps protect sea turtles by guarding spotted sea turtle nests on the beach until their eggs hatch. Once they hatch, they try to have public releases to promote conservation of the turtles. I attended one of these releases. If you are interested, please call the hotline at 956-433-5735.

Habitat:

Outside of nesting, the major habitat for Kemp's ridleys is the nearshore and inshore waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Adult and sub-adult Kemp's Ridleys primarily occupy nearshore habitats that contain muddy or sandy bottoms where prey can be found. Kemp’s ridley hatchlings and small juveniles inhabit a very different environment than adults. After emerging from the nest, hatchlings enter the water and quickly swim offshore to open ocean developmental habitat where they associate with floating Sargassum seaweed. They passively drift within the Sargassum, feeding on a wide variety of floating items. Some of these juvenile turtles remain within Gulf of Mexico currents while others are swept out of the Gulf and into the Atlantic Ocean by the Gulf Stream. This developmental period is estimated to last approximately 2 years or until the turtles reach a carapace length of about 8 inches, at which time these sub-adult turtles return to neritic zones of the Gulf of Mexico or northwestern Atlantic Ocean where they feed and continuing growing until they reach maturity.

Notes:

During the months of April-August, Sea Turtle, Inc. on South Padre Island helps protect sea turtles by guarding spotted sea turtle nests on the beach until their eggs hatch. Once they hatch, they try to have public releases to promote conservation of the turtles. I attended one of these releases. If you are interested, please call the hotline at 956-433-5735.