Ridley [1] , or olive turtles [1] ( lat. Lepidochelys ) - a genus of sea turtles .
| Ridley |
Olive turtle
( Lepidochelys olivacea ) |
| Scientific classification |
|---|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Superfamily : | Chelonioidea |
|
| International scientific name |
|---|
Lepidochelys Fitzinger , 1843 |
|
Content
The total length of carapace of representatives of this genus ranges from 58 to 72 cm, weight from 35 to 50 kg. The head is medium sized, triangular in shape. Carapax is rounded or heart-shaped. Carapax carpalum, no crest. The limbs are large, very developed for swimming.
The carapace is greenish or olive in color. The plastron is yellowish. Young turtles are much darker, almost black.
They live in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
All the time they spend at sea, they are found in shallow water off the coast. They go to land only for laying eggs. It feeds on fish, jellyfish, shellfish, shrimp, crab, and sometimes algae.
Females lay up to 100-110 eggs. The incubation period lasts 45–70 days. There are several clutches per season.
Includes 2 types [2] :
- Lepidochelys kempii - atlantic ridley
- Lepidochelys olivacea - olive turtle
- ↑ 1 2 Ananyeva N. B. , Borkin L. Ya. , Darevsky I.S. , Orlov N.L. Amphibians and reptiles. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / edited by Acad. V. E. Sokolova . - M .: Rus. Yaz., 1988 .-- S. 143. - 10,500 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00232-X .
- ↑ The Reptile Database: genus Lepidochelys
- Bowen, BW & Karl, SA 2007. Population genetics and phylogeography of sea turtles. Molecular Ecology 16: 4886-4907
