FaunaHub
VUVulnerablePartial review

Olive Ridley Turtle

Lepidochelys olivacea

Olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), a small olive-green sea turtle.

Olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea).

Image: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

At a glance

IUCN category
VU · Vulnerable
Animal group
Reptiles & Amphibians
Population trend
Decreasing
Last verified

Conservation overview

The olive ridley is a small sea turtle famous, like its relative the Kemp's ridley, for synchronised mass-nesting 'arribadas'. It is assessed as Vulnerable.

It is one of the most abundant sea turtles, yet still threatened.

Range & habitat

Tropical waters of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans.

Major threats

Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.

  • Bycatch
  • Egg collection and coastal development
  • Pollution

Why it matters

Despite being relatively numerous, the olive ridley's reliance on a few mass-nesting beaches makes it a focus for nesting-site protection and turtle-safe fishing.

Gallery

An olive ridley turtle on a nesting beach.

Olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), Oaxaca, Mexico.

Image: Claudio Giovenzana, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

Sources for Olive Ridley Turtle

Frequently Asked Questions

What is special about olive ridley nesting?
Like the Kemp's ridley, olive ridleys can nest in huge synchronised events called arribadas, when thousands of females come ashore together — spectacular but vulnerable to disturbance.
Why is the olive ridley Vulnerable?
Published assessments cite bycatch in fishing gear, egg collection, coastal development, and pollution. See the IUCN Red List for the current assessment.

Last updated: