CR

Kemp's Ridley

Lepidochelys kempii

Unknown

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

Kemp's ridley sea turtle faces severe threats from incidental capture in shrimp trawling and other fishing operations, which remains the primary cause of mortality despite turtle excluder device requirements. Coastal development and beach armoring have eliminated or degraded critical nesting beaches, while oil spills and marine pollution continue to impact both nesting and foraging habitats. Climate change poses additional risks through rising sea levels affecting nesting beaches and altered ocean currents disrupting food webs.

Threat summary

Habitat

Kemp's ridley inhabits shallow coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, particularly nearshore areas with muddy and sandy bottoms where they forage for crabs and other benthic invertebrates. The species exhibits highly synchronized nesting behavior, with females coming ashore almost exclusively on a single beach at Rancho Nuevo, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

Marine oceanic· majorMarine coastal/supratidal· majorMarine neritic· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionHabitat & natural process restorationSpecies managementSpecies recoverySpecies reintroductionEx-situ conservationAwareness & communicationsLegislationPolicies and regulationsCompliance and enforcement

Other threatened species in CHELONIIDAE

Hawksbill TurtleCR

Hawksbill Turtle

Eretmochelys imbricata

Declining
VU

Olive Ridley Turtle

Lepidochelys olivacea

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Loggerhead TurtleVU

Loggerhead Turtle

Caretta caretta

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Threatened in Bermuda

VU

Short-tailed Albatross

Phoebastria albatrus

Increasing
Blind SnailVU

Blind Snail

Cecilioides acicula

Unknown
EN

Bermuda Shield Fern

Thelypteris bermudiana

Declining
CR

Speleoithona bermudensis

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Kemp's Ridley classified as Critically Endangered?
Kemp's Ridley is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Kemp's ridley sea turtle faces severe threats from incidental capture in shrimp trawling and other fishing operations, which remains the primary cause of mortality despite turtle excluder device requirements. Coastal development and beach armoring have eliminated or degraded critical nesting beaches, while oil spills and marine pollution continue to impact both nesting and foraging habitats. Climate change poses additional risks through rising sea levels affecting nesting beaches and altered ocean currents disrupting food webs.
Where does Kemp's Ridley live?
Kemp's Ridley occurs in Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, Portugal, and United States. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Kemp's Ridley?
The main threats to Kemp's Ridley are 5.4, 9.3.4, ai-1, and ai-2. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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