subject: Fun Facts About Olive Ridley Sea Turtle [print this page] These sea turtles are the smallest of them and the only ones that are not endangered yet. They make an amazing trip across the ocean from the Atlantic Ocean to return to nest on the same beach they are born.
Their favorite food is crabs, shrimp, rock lobsters, sea grasses, algae, snails, fish, sessile and small invertebrates. These sea turtles have an average weight of over 50kg and a length of 62 to 70 cm. When in the wild they can live up to 50 years.
They love open sea so you will never see them near reefs. During nesting, they use the wind and the tide to help them reach the beach. The exact age at which reproduction occurs is not known but females usually reach a length of 60 cm before becoming reproductively active. Mating usually occurs on beaches during the spring and early summer. Since females store sperm in their bodies for later use, a single female can nest multiple months in a row.
Olive ridleys have nesting sites all over the world, on tropical and subtropical beaches. Females lay about 100 eggs, but may nest up to three times a year. The nesting season is from June to December. After hatching baby turtles rush down the beach towards the sea, the sooner they get there the most possibilities of survival.
After hatching baby turtles rush down the beach towards the sea, the sooner they get there the most possibilities of survival. Though the olive ridley is widely considered the most abundant of the marine turtles, by all estimates, it is in trouble. Its numbers, particularly in the western Atlantic have declined precipitously. Many governments have protections for olive ridleys, but still, eggs are taken and nesting females are slaughtered for their meat and skin. Fishing nets also take a large toll, frequently snagging and drowning these turtles.
Olive ridleys are found only in warmer waters, including the southern Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.
