Completed
Kemp's Ridley
Lepidochelys kempii
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassTestudines
- FamilyCheloniidae (Typical Sea Turtles)
- GenusLepidochelys (Ridley Sea Turtles)
- SpeciesLepidochelys kempii (Kemp's Ridley)
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
125 Verified sightings at Padre Island National Seashore From 2019 to 2026
125 In 1 park
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Kemp's Ridley
Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii), also called commonly the Atlantic ridley sea turtle, Kemp's ridley turtle, and Kemp's ridley, is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae. L. kempii is the rarest species of sea turtle and is the world's most endangered species of sea turtle as well as the smallest. It is one of two living species in the genus Lepidochelys (the other one being L. olivacea, the olive ridley sea turtle). L. kempii primarily occupies habitat around the Gulf of Mexico, though its migrations into the Atlantic Ocean are being affected by rising temperatures. Rising sea temperatures expand this species' range, leaving them vulnerable to cold-shocking events when weather changes. Kemp's ridley sea turtle is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and conservation efforts are attempting to rebuild population numbers. Human activity, including habitat destruction, climate change, and oil spills, threatens populations.
This species of turtle is called Kemp's ridley because Richard Moore Kemp (1825–1908) of Key West was the first to send a specimen to Samuel Garman at Harvard, but the origin of the name "ridley" itself is... Wikipedia →
Sounds
Recording0:02
United States · 2024
© Philip Woods · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recent sightings of Kemp's Ridley in Padre Island National Seashore
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Zoos & Centres Where Found
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gulf Specimen Public Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Brookfield Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Moody Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Turtle Back Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | L'Oceanogràfic | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Mississippi Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Gran Acuario de Mazatlán "Mar de Cortés" | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 9 | SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Mote Marine Laboratory | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | South Carolina Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Acuario Inbursa | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 15 | The River Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Sea Life Charlotte-Concord | 🇺🇸 United States |
Closest Relatives at Padre Island National Seashore
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Kemp's Ridley in Padre Island National Seashore?
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Kemp's Ridley sighting in Padre Island National Seashore on a given day, based on 125 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 15 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Kemp's Ridley in Padre Island National Seashore?
June and July
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Kemp's Ridley in Padre Island National Seashore on a given day, against under 5% in September and December–March, the lowest months.
What time of day is best to see a Kemp's Ridley?
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Kemp's Ridley sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Where else can you see a Kemp's Ridley?
Only Padre Island National Seashore, in our data
Padre Island National Seashore is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Kemp's Ridley sightings: about 30% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Which relatives of the Kemp's Ridley live in Padre Island National Seashore?
Same family: Cheloniidae
The closest relatives of the Kemp's Ridley that you can see in Padre Island National Seashore (family Cheloniidae, Typical Sea Turtles) are Green Sea Turtle (about 10%) and Loggerhead Sea Turtle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the Kemp's Ridley sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Kemp's Ridley is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Padre Island National Seashore (125 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
