Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829)
Pacific Ridley Turtle 麗龜

Lepidochelys olivacea
Order Testudines 龜鱉目
Family Chelonidae 海龜科
Genus
Lepidochelys 麗龜屬
Species Lepidochelys olivacea
Other name Golfina Turtle, Olive Ridley Turtle
Chinese name 太平洋麗龜, 姬賴利海龜, 欖蠵龜
Carapace length About 75 cm
Origin Native
Description

Carapace heart-shaped, color olive-green with a single median keel.
Plastron pale orange-yellow. Four limbs modified to flippers, each with one claw.
Habitat

Marine. Nest on beach.
Behaviour -
Diet Omnivorous. Feeds on fish, lobster, jellyfish, seagrass and algae.
Reproduction In China, egg laying between September to January.
Lay 90-135 eggs a time, hatch within 2 months.
Distribution

Occasionally seen in southern and eastern part of local waters.
Five records with certainty in Hong Kong:
1973 - beach on Stonecutter Island.
1978 - live specimen in the sea off Sau Kei Wan.
A shell of this species was found ashore on Lamma Island.
1996 - a freshly dead adult at Shek O.
2005 - In June 1, a 32kg female carcass on a rocky beach in Ocean Park.

Has a circumtropical distribution.
Migratory route in tropical and some part of subtropical water, occurs in coastal water of over 80 countries.
Nesting in tropical waters, occurs in nearly 60 countries worldwide.

Reference: Cheung K.S. et al 2006. The Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) – an Unusual Sea Turtle Recorded in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Biodiversity, AFCD. Vol. 11: 13.
Conservation Status

IUCN Redlist: VU (Vulnerable)
China Redlist: Critically Endangered
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