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Turtle Rescue Update
After a few emails back and forth on the turtle grapevine, we have
settled on the identification of our rescued turtle as an Olive Ridley turtle: Lepidochelys olivacea.
Turtles can be identified according to a number of features including
the head shape/size in comparison to the body; carapace shape (upper shell shape) and size; number of costal scutes (scales) on the carapace and a few other
features. It is a little difficult to say absolutely conclusively which
species of Ridley it is given the unclear view of the carapace but there
seems to be enough certainty that it is an Olive Ridley rather than a
Kemp's Ridley which is reportedly rarer.
An Olive Ridley Turtle in distress
LS(D) Webb to the rescue.
The Olive Ridley is listed on the IUCN Red List as Endangered
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/11534/summ). This means
the species is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the
near future due to a reduction of the population of at least 50% over
the last 10 years or three generations.
Background information – Olive Ridley Turtles
Once killed in the hundreds of thousands for leather and meat, Olive Ridleys have yet to recover from centuries of over-exploitation. While the species has a wide range, the number of important breeding sites is very restricted, so efforts to protect their major beaches are important.
The illegal harvest of their eggs in the Central American region continues, and there is also a high mortality of adults due to coastal fisheries that do not yet use Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in their nets.
Size
The average length is 70 cm, and adults weigh approximately 45 kg.
Habitats
Nesting Range States
Angola, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Senegal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela.
Why is this species important?
Marine turtles fulfil important roles in marine ecosystems. Olive Ridley turtles feed on invertebrates and may play important roles in both open ocean and coastal ecosystems.
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