Kemp's ridley sea turtle: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Kemp's ridley sea turtle lives – recorded in 6 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Lepidochelys kempii
Group	Turtles & tortoises
Status	Critically endangered (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	6 countries
Continents	Africa, Europe, North America
Class	Reptile
Order	Testudines
Family	Cheloniidae

Where does the Kemp's ridley sea turtle live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Kemp's ridley sea turtle in 6 countries and territories across Africa, Europe and North America.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the Kemp's ridley sea turtle endangered?

The Kemp's ridley sea turtle’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Critically endangered” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the Kemp's ridley sea turtle?

The Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) is a reptile in the order Testudines and the family Cheloniidae, genus Lepidochelys. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Kemp's ridley sea turtle

Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii), also called commonly the Atlantic ridley sea turtle, Kemp's ridley turtle, and Kemp's ridley, is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae. L. kempii is the rarest species of sea turtle and is the world's most endangered species of sea turtle as well as the smallest. It is one of two living species in the genus Lepidochelys (the other one being L. olivacea, the olive ridley sea turtle). L. kempii primarily occupies habitat around the Gulf of Mexico, though its migrations into the Atlantic Ocean are being affected by rising temperatures. Rising sea temperatures expand this species' range, leaving them vulnerable to cold-shocking events when weather changes. Kemp's ridley sea turtle is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and conservation efforts are attempting to rebuild population numbers. Human activity, including habitat destruction, climate change, and oil spills, threatens populations.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Kemp's ridley sea turtle (revision 1378612184), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q301089 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).