Kemp's ridley turtle
Lepidochelys kempii
The world's smallest sea turtle, Kemp's ridley is a Gulf specialist known for rare daytime arribadas and a long recovery effort in Mexico and Texas.
Critically Endangered (IUCN, 2019) means it is at extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
Photos show the species, not always the places on this page.
Length
The smallest sea turtle; shell usually about 0.6 m (2 ft), often nearly as wide as it is long
Weight
Usually about 32 to 45 kg (70 to 100 lb)
Next to a person
A small, round shell about the length of an adult's lower leg
What it eats
Young turtles eat a mixed diet. Adults in shallow coastal waters prefer crabs, and also eat fish, jellyfish and molluscs.
Around people
Calm, give space
How it lives
Kemp's ridley is the smallest sea turtle. It lives mostly in the Gulf of Mexico and the north-west Atlantic. Young turtles spend their first years in the open ocean with floating Sargassum seaweed, then move to shallow coastal waters. Females usually nest in daylight, and sometimes many come ashore together in arribadas.
Where it goes
After nesting at Rancho Nuevo, Mexico, and Padre Island, Texas, 31 tracked females travelled on average 793.1 km to feeding areas in shallow Gulf waters, many off Louisiana. Most went back to the same feeding area over time.
Populations
About 95 percent of all Kemp's ridley nesting is in Tamaulipas, Mexico, mainly at Rancho Nuevo, Tepehuajes and Barra del Tordo, with smaller nesting in Veracruz and Texas. Nests fell to 702 in 1985, then grew again thanks to a long recovery effort, but numbers have gone up and down since 2010 and the species is still Critically Endangered. In spring 2026, more than 7,000 nests were recorded at Rancho Nuevo, Barra del Tordo and Miramar.
Meet it respectfully
Look only, and never touch, chase or block a turtle, and never disturb nests or hatchlings. Watch nesting or hatchlings only with official turtle programmes, and keep to the path they show you. Public hatchling releases do not happen every day and are never guaranteed.
Fun fact
Tap the bulb to light it up.
It is the smallest sea turtle in the world.
Its shell is often nearly as wide as it is long.
Young Kemp's ridleys spend their early years in the open ocean with floating Sargassum seaweed.
An amateur film from 1947 shows tens of thousands of Kemp's ridleys nesting near Rancho Nuevo, Mexico, on a single day. By 1985, nests had fallen to a record low of 702.
Source: NOAA Fisheries, Kemp's ridley turtle species profile
Follow its journey
Watch it travel. Every line comes from satellite tracking or documented research, and the source is named.
StartEndJourney (the line joins documented areas; real paths vary)
Kemp's ridley turtle in the Ocean Atlas
Places we have researched where this animal is recorded. It is never guaranteed, and some places are for watching from the boat only.
Travel with usComing soonTrusted referralExploringOn pause, story onlyEthics pass
Country colour: pink where we travel, blue where we are exploring or refer, grey for story only.
Canada
France
Ireland
Mexico
Netherlands
Spain
United Kingdom
United StatesSources for this page
- NOAA Fisheries, 2026
- IUCN Red List
- Shaver et al., 2013, Foraging area fidelity for Kemp's ridleys
- IUCN SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group, 2019
- National Park Service, Padre Island National Seashore
- CONANP, 2026
Facts checked 26 September 2026. Photos: Unsplash licence, or Creative Commons as shown on each photo.
Work in ocean travel?
We are always happy to hear from exceptional local operators, accommodation, conservation organisations and destination experts. If your work fits responsible, small-group ocean travel, we would love to learn more.
Partner with Ocean CallingSwim with humpback whales in Moʻorea, September 2027
from CHF 4,500