The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle Of Sayulita, Mexico (Lepidochelys Olivacea)
- The Persaud Catalog
- Jan 10
- 7 min read
This month’s article series will be discussing the mysterious & tropical, Sayulita, Mexico. Sayulita is a small resort town on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. It is located in the Nayarit state, & is just north of Banderas Bay. Their beaches are extremely popular amongst surfers, & have been popular for a long time. Additionally, the coastline is popular amongst snorkelers & scuba divers alike.
Its proximity to Puerto Vallarta also helps with domestic tourism. The nightlife is extremely active, which is a very auttractive feature. Well known for its food, never ending parties, & wildlife, the city truly has something to offer to almost everyone.
However, with all of these intriguing things to do, many often forget about the magnificent wildlife of Sayulita. Sayulita has many, many different creatures, from whales, to geckos, to land crabs. The landscape is vast, & unequivocally biodiverse. Approximately 300 bird species are found in the city, both near the coast & the mountains. However, some of the true stars of the city, are the turtles. 2 species of turtle inhabit the area, those being the Loggerhead Turtle, whom we covered in a previous article, & the Olive Ridley Turtle.
The Olive Ridley Turtle is a small species of oceanic turtle, found in the pacific ocean. They are considered to be one of the most abundant sea turtle species on earth, despite their massive historical population decline. Their common name comes from their olive coloured shell, that just so happens to be heart shaped. It is the second smallest sea turtle on Earth.
This species inhabits practically all tropical, & subtropical waters. Their range includes the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, & the Atlantic Ocean. Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle is a close relative of this species, with the Kemps Ridley Sea Turtle being the only other sea turtle in the Lepidochelys Genus.
In this article we will discuss the discovery & life of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle, the mating techniques, tactics, practices, procedures, habits & strategies of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle, the distribution of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle, & the scientific detailings of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle. With that, let us delve into the most abundant sea turtle on Earth.
The Discovery & Life Of The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle
The Olive Ridley Turtle was discovered in the year 1829, by Johann Friedrich Von Eschscholtz, a German botanist, entomologist, & naturalist. This species ranges from 24 to 28 inches in length. Adult individuals weigh between 75, & 110 pounds. As of 2025, their life span is unknown, however it is estimated to be between 30 & 50 years.
The Intelligence of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle is unmeasured, as there are no studies around it. It is not clear how long the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle has existed as a species. As the Olive Ridley Turtle is a Cheloniid turtle, they are no more then 72 million years old.
Individuals are generally docile, & will rarely attack even if provoked. Sea Turtle bites are non-lethal, so if a human is bit, they have little to worry about. The Olive Ridley Turtle is not territorial at all, & is very migratory. Generally, they are solitary, & have very loose social structures. Due to their timid natures, they won’t interact with humans unless they absolutely have to.
Olive Ridley Sea Turtles are extremely agile creatures, & are able to navigate both the water column, & land with ease. They are aided in this by their graceful flippers. These flippers don’t just function as steers, & actually propel them through the water, while their back flippers assist with steering. This species maintains its buoyancy by controlling the amount of air it intakes when it is on the surface.
Depending on the needs of each dive, the turtle will intake a certain amount of air.
Individuals will sleep by either wedging themselves between coral or rock, or finding a restful place along the ocean floor. Once comfortable, they will not go up to the surface for air until they awake. They will sleep for 2 to 7 hour periods, depending on the circumstances.
Their diet is similar to other sea turtles, & consists largely of algae, crab, lobster, tunicates, & shelled molluscs. They are not cannibalistic at any stage in their development. Individuals locate food by sight, & feeling vibration. This species is diurnal in nature, meaning that they hunt & are mainly awake during the day. Unfortunately, It is unclear how much one individual eats per day, & what the metabolic rate of this species is. On land, the primary predators of sea turtles are feral pigs, raccoons coyotes, birds, & occasionally large crabs. In the ocean, their primary predators are sharks of various species. Olive Ridley Sea Turtles have a yellow or green carapace, that typically has algae. With 4 flippers, each flippers have 1 or 2 claws. They have very small heads, & muscular flippers.
As of 2026, they are categorized as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. Their population is at least 800,000, & possibly upwards of 1 million.
Their population was at an all time low in the 1980’s, reaching as low as 200 individuals. They were placed on the endangered species list in 1978, & with some conservation, their population recovered beautifully.
The Mating Techniques, Tactics, Practices, Procedures, Habits, & Strategies Of The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle
The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle breeds via Sexual Reproduction. There are 2 sexes in this species, & individuals are not naturally hermaphroditic. Their mating system is polyamorous, meaning that both sexes take multiple partners each breeding season.
Both sexes will reach reproductive maturity at 14 to 15 years of age. It does not appear that they have a specific breeding season, & females breed once or twice per year.
Once 2 individuals initiate copulation, the male will transfer sperm to the female, which she will store until she is ready to fertilize her eggs. Once she is ready, she will swim to a beach, & begin nesting. She will use her back flippers to dig a small hole in the sand, & lay her eggs for 1 to 4 hours. The average clutch size is 100 eggs. She will nest at the same beach every single year. Many other females will nest with her, in a massive nesting congregation. Once she is finished, she will inch back into the water, & have no part in her hatchlings upbringing.
Approximately 90% of these hatchlings will be eaten in either the egg stage or in the first few days of their lives, & extremely few of them will be able to live out their full life span.
The Distribution Of The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle
The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle is found in the tropical areas of the Pacific, Atlantic, & Indian Ocean. Individuals prefer warm water, & seem to dislike any water below 50° Fahrenheit (10° Celsius). They are extremely migratory creatures, & will not spend more then a year in one area.
The Scientific Detailings Of The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle
By far, the most intriguing feature of this species is its unique carapace. The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle has a small heart shaped carapace. Unlike their terrestrial counterparts, their limbs & head are fixed to the outside of their shell, meaning that they cannot retract inwards.
This carapace is made up of approximately 50 different bones. We could not find any fossils attributed to the Olive Ridley Turtle.
As for their most common parasites, fungus from the genera Aspergillus, Gliocladium, Fusarium, & Geotrichum are known to infest these turtles. Sea Turtles in general do not have teeth, & instead use their extremely strong beaks to crush their prey & eat it.
Their phylum is Chordata, meaning that they developed these 5 characteristics all species under the phylum of chordata develop 5 similar characteristics either In adulthood or as juveniles. The characteristics that they develop include, a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal Slits, & a post-anal tail.
Their class is Reptilia, meaning that they are cold blooded, which is a universal characteristic of all Reptilians. There are approximately 10,000 extant reptilian species at the time of publishing.
Their order is Testudines, which is the order that all turtles are classified under. A universal characteristic of all species under this order is that they breathe air, & don’t lay eggs underwater. Approximately 300 extant species are categorized under this order.
Their family is Cheloniidae, which consists of 6 species. Cheloniidae is the only group of sea turtles to have stronger front flippers then their back flippers.
Their genus is Lepidochelys. Lepidochelys is a small genus, consisting of only 2 species. This species binomial name is Lepidochelys Olivacea.
Directories / Credits
Citation No. 1: “Olive Ridley Turtle: Lepidochelys Olivacea”, Written By Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Retrieval Date: March 14th, 2024.
Citation No. 2: “Facts”, Written By Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the World Wildlife Fund. Retrieval Date: March 14th, 2024.
Citation No. 3: “Olive Ridley Sea Turtle”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the National Wildlife Federation. Retrieval Date: March 14th, 2024.
ttps://www.nwf.org/en/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Reptiles/Sea-Turtles/Olive-Ridley-Sea-Turtle
Citation No. 4: “Olive Ridley Turtle”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Oceana. Retrieval Date: March 14th, 2024.
Citation No. 5: “Olive Ridley Sea Turtles”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by The Marine Biological Conservation Society. Retrieval Date: March 14th, 2024.
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