The Kemp Ridley Sea Turtle | Breeding and Nesting | The Arribada

Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles are among the species that is on the watch list for endangered animals. This is because their natural habitat has been affected by the improvements and overpopulation of humans as well. They have been severely affected by the pollution and the contamination in these areas that it makes it more difficult for experts to preserve their species.

There are many things that make Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles unique and one of them is their nesting habits. This is because they are the only ones that nest in the day time. For some reason, unlike other turtle species that would usually nest in the night time the Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles flock by the hundreds to the shores of Rancho Nuevo and lay their eggs.

History shows that their nesting sites have been in Mustang Island, Texas in the North of Veracruz and in the South of Mexico where most nesting occurs. As mentioned above the popular nesting site for these turtles is the 16-mile stretch located in the beaches of Rancho Nuevo in Mexico.

There are also nesting sites that have been located near the area but in small numbers. There are also documents that suggest that other places such as California, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Alabama. After they have reached their maturity and this would usually be between 10 to 15 years of age. Once every two years on the average, female Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles go to the shore to lay their eggs.

Much like other species of turtles men do not return to shores once they have stepped into the water when they were hatchlings. Only the female return to the shore to lay their eggs that are usually called clutches. These are pockets in the sand where they lay their eggs. Each clutch has about an average of 100 eggs and each female can lay about two or three clutches during her nesting period.

The nesting nature of the Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles has also been one of the primary reasons why their species has been put on the endangered list. This is because their eggs are usually harvested and take advantage of by many locals.

This is a problem especially because they lay their eggs in the daytime and anyone can easily see and they will automatically look for where these eggs have been laid. From there they can easily dig up the clutch and harvest the eggs. This is a serious threat especially when locals choose to harvest all and leave nothing to hatch and return to the waters to increase their population.

When it comes to protecting the Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles studying their nesting habits is most important in order to save their species as they are now severely endangered. When it comes to taking measures such as preservation, it is important to study the angles through which you can preserve their species.

Protecting the eggs of these female Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles is important to make sure that they continue to live for many generations in the future.