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You are here: Home / Basic Biology of Caribbean Sea Turtles / Pictorial Key / Olive Ridley Turtle

Olive Ridley Turtle

loDescription of the Olive Ridley Turtle
(Lepidochelys olivacea)

Colouration*HeadLimbsCarapacePlastronWeightDistribution
taxlo-lo-nesting-c-s-a-eckert-widecastDorsally grey in immatures, mid to dark-olive green in adults; underside white in immatures, cream-yellow in adults.

*source: Pritchard & Mortimier (1999)

lo-at-sea-head-c-s-a-eckert-widecastlargetaxlo-lo-head-profileRelatively large, subtriangular with convex sides; width to 13 cm; two pairs of prefrontal scales.
Two claws on each flipper (some adults may lose the secondary claw on the front flippers).
Short and wide, but narrower and higher than in L. kempii; high vertebral projections in juveniles; carapace smooth but elevated and somewhat tectiform (tent-shaped) in adults (especially in the East Pacific); five to nine pairs of costal scutes (usually six to eight) often with asymmetrical configuration; carapace scutes slightly overlapping in juveniles, non-overlapping in adults; straight carapace length (SCL) to 72 cm.
taxlo-lo-nancite-best-c-s-cornelius

taxlo-lo-dorsal

taxlo-lo-juv-ventral2-etp-1993-c-robert-l-pitmantaxlo-lo-ventralA distinct, small pore near rear margin of each of the four inframarginal scutes.
Typically 35-50 kg.
Tropical waters of Pacific, Indian and South Atlantic Ocean.

Loggerhead turtle

Loggerhead turtle
(Caretta caretta)

gr

Green Turtle
(Chelonia mydas)

lb

Leatherback Turtle
(Dermochelys coriacea)

hb

Hawksbill Turtle
(Eretmochelys imbricata)

kr

Kemp’s Ridley
(Lepidochelys kempii)

lo
 
 
Olive Ridley
(Lepidochelys olivacea)

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Working together to realize a future where all inhabitants of the Wider Caribbean Region, human and sea turtle alike, can live together in balance.

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