Olive ridley sea turtle
| Olive ridley sea turtle | |
|---|---|
| Olive ridley sea turtle at Kélonia, an aquarium in Saint-Leu, Réunion | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Cryptodira |
| Superfamily: | Chelonioidea |
| Family: | Cheloniidae |
| Genus: | Lepidochelys |
| Species: | L. olivacea |
| Binomial name | |
| Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), also known commonly as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae. The species is the second-smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world. L. olivacea is found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, but also in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
This turtle and the related Kemp's ridley sea turtle are best known for their unique synchronised mass nestings called arribadas, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.