Kemp's ridley sea turtle

Kemp's ridley sea turtle
Lepidochelys kempii
CITES Appendix I (CITES)
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Chelonioidea
Family: Cheloniidae
Genus: Lepidochelys
Species:
L. kempii
Binomial name
Lepidochelys kempii
(Garman, 1880)
Synonyms
  • Thalassochelys kempii
    Garman, 1880
  • Lepidochelys kempii
    Baur, 1890
  • Colpochelys kempii
    — O.P. Hay, 1905
  • Caretta kempii
    Siebenrock, 1909
  • Lepidochelys olivacea kempii
    — Mertens & Wermuth, 1955
  • Lepidochelys kempii
    Fritz & Havaš, 2007

Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii), also called the Atlantic ridley sea turtle, is the rarest species of sea turtle and is the world's most endangered species of sea turtle. It is one of two living species in the genus Lepidochelys (the other one being L. olivacea, the olive ridley sea turtle). The species primarily occupies habitat around the Gulf of Mexico though their migrations into the Atlantic are being affected by rising temperatures. Kemp's ridley sea turtles are currently listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and current conservation efforts attempt to rebuild population numbers. Human activity, including but not limited to habitat destruction, climate change, and oil spills, threaten populations.

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