Olive Ridley Sea Turtle

Taxonomy

Kingdom - Animalia

Phylum - Chordata

Class - Reptilia

Order - Testudines

Family - Cheloniidae

Genus - Lepidochelys

Species - Olivacea

Evolution

No known subspecies

Been in existence for 14 million years

Closest living relative is the Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle

Ancestors - Eunotosaurus (earliest known ancestor), Odontochelys Semitestacea, Proganochelys Quenstedti

Description

Olive Ridley turtles are an olive/grayish-green with a heart-shaped carapace (top shell) habing 5 to 9 pairs of scutes (scales on shell). Each of the four flippers has one or two claws. The size and form of the turtles varies from region to region, with the largest animals observed in West Africa. Their heads are quite small. They look very similar to the Kemp's Ridley turtle with the two species being the smallest of all sea turtles.

Size - adults measure 2 to 2.5 feet in carapace length

Weight - adults weigh between 77 and 100 pounds

The distinguishing feature between male and female turtles is that the male's tail extends past the carapace while the female's does not.