Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles are the smallest and most endangered species of sea turtle alive today!
Where to find on campus: Visit the Gulf or Mexico / America aquarium within the Eckstien Family Rivers to the Sea gallery found in the Diamond Jo National Rivers Center.
Diet: A Kemp's Ridley sea turtle's diet consists of a variety of foods including mollusks, crustaceans, fish, jellyfish, and seaweed.
Lifespan: No one knows for sure how long they live, but like other sea turtles, they reach maturity at about 13 years of age and their estimated lifespan is at least 30 years.*
Size: The average adult sea turtle will grow to roughly 2-feet in length and weigh up to 80 lbs.*
Did you know?
There are seven different types of sea turtles:
- Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea)
- Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
- Loggerhead (Caretta caretta)
- Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata)
- Kemp's Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii),
- Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea)
- Flatback (Natator depressus)
*Some information on this page came from NOAA Fisheries website.
Meet our Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle: This juvenile Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle joins us most recently from the National Aquarium in Baltimore. This is a non-releasable animal with gliosis of the spinal column, essentially scarring from an early injury that prevents normal nerve function, and partial amputation of its left rear flipper which causes issues with their buoyancy. While it was able to eat without effort, it struggled to catch live prey because of the buoyancy, contributing to the decision to deem it non-releasable.
