Genus: Lepidochelys

Species: kempii

Common Name: Kemp Ridley

The Kemp Ridley is the smallest sea turtle in the sea. The Kemp Ridley weighs 80 to 120 pounds and has a lenght of 30 inches. It has a scutes that are usually a olive gray color.This scutes are attached to the shell of a bone called " carapace". The carapace is the shape of a wide oval.The Kemp Ridley has a diet consisting of blue crabs, mollusks,. shrimp and jellyfish.The Kemp Ridley is not a travelor. It stays in the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. They stay around shallow that have sandy or muddy bottoms to dig up their favorite food- crabs.The female kemp Ridley are the only ones that come out of the water. Males don`t. Females nest their eggs from April to July.When the baby sea turtle are born they are black and about 2 inches long.

Over the years fewer and fewer female Kemp Ridley come out to nest their eggs on the beaches. Causing the population of this sea turtles to decrease making it the most endangere sea turtle.

What can we do to save the Kemp Ridley sea turlte? Their are many ways to help sve the Kemp Ridley but here are 4 ways you can help.1)Help protect turlte nesting.2)Remove any beach litter that can harm sea turtles. 3)Report any sea turtle that is in trouble.4) Wach sea turtles from a distance so they are not boder

This is an example for of a stranded turtle. This is why we need to keep our trash out of uor beaches. This Kemp Ridley was fond on Galveston , Texas. It had a chain tied to one of its flippers causing it not to be able to swim to surface to breathe. This occur during the 1997 shrimp season. So next time when you think about throwing trash in the ocean think about the animals and what may happen to them .

For more information you can go to:

www.chirpingbird.com/netpet/html/classrm/turtlfac.html

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