Olive Ridley sea turtles

Status: Critically Endangered

This is the smallest of the Australian sea turtles with an average curved carapace length of 70cm and weight of 40kg.

Olive ridley turtles have a high domed carapace that is olive-grey in colour.

Olive ridley turtles feed on fish and invertebrats including gastropod molluscs, crabs, jellyfish, shrimp, tunicates and algae.

Olive ridley turtles are found in tropical and
subtropical waters throughout the world. In
Australia, low density nesting occurs in northern Australia, particularly in Arnhem Land.

Olive ridleys form nesting "arribadas" where hundreds of turtles come ashore on the one night to synchronize their nesting.