Olive Ridley Habitat and Diet

Habitat

Live in the ocean among the other sea life (jellyfish, whales, fish, crabs shrimp, seaweed, algae, ect.).

The Olive Ridley is mainly a pelagic (open ocean) sea turtle, observed by trans-Pacific ships over 2,400 miles from shore, but they are also known to inhabit coastal areas. They seek warmer waters. They prefer beaches of Mexico south to Columbia. In the Indian Ocean, its greatest abundance is in eastern India and Sri Lanka. 

Distribution

Olive Ridleys are globally distributed in the tropical regions of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. In the Atlantic Ocean, they are found along the coasts of West Africa and South America. In the Eastern Pacific, they occur from Southern California to Northern Chile.

They are not considered invasive species.

Diet

The Olive Ridley is omnivorous, meaning it feeds on a wide variety of food items, including jellyfish, snails, shrimp, seaweed, algae, lobster, crabs, tunicates, and mollusks. They can dive to depths of 500 feet to forage on benthic invertebrates (those that live on the bottom). 

Olive Ridley turtles need to consume at least 16,000 calories per day which is 73% of their body weight. Their food lives nearly everywhere the turtle migrates, making it reasonably easy to consume the calories.

Ridley's use their sharp beak to tear into prey and vegetation. They also use their strong jaw to suffocate and crush exoskeletons.

The most challenging part of the turtle's day is finding food before they become prey.