Report on Efforts to Prevent Extinction of Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle Through Head Starting

摘要

Kemp's ridley sea turtle, Lepidochelys kempi, is one of eight species of sea turtles. Kemp's ridley and the olive ridley, L. olivacea, are the smallest of the sea turtles, reaching an adult weight close to 45 kg. Since 1973, Kemp's ridley, the rarest of the sea turtles, has been classified as endangered. The distribution of Kemp's ridley includes the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic coast of North America to Nova Scotia, and European Atlantic waters. As far as is presently known, the principal nesting area for Kemp's ridley is a 20-km stretch of oceanside beach bordering the Gulf of Mexico.