Olive Ridley Sea Turtle

Measuring around 60 to 70 cm and weighing up to 45 kg, the olive ridley (*Lepidochelys olivacea*) is one of the smallest sea turtle species in the world, distinguished by its heart-shaped, olive-green carapace.

Adults spend most of their lives in pelagic open ocean waters foraging for crabs, jellyfish, tunicates, and small fish, traveling across vast oceanic currents between feeding grounds and ancestral natal beaches.

Between July and November, thousands of female turtles return with astonishing geomagnetic precision to the exact coastlines where they hatched decades earlier.

Under the cover of night, females crawl past the surf line, dig a 50-centimeter flask-shaped nest in the sand, and lay an average of 100 soft-shelled eggs before carefully camouflaging the nest and returning to the sea.

Due to threats from beach traffic, temperature spikes, and domestic predators, local conservation groups and resorts operate certified incubation nurseries along the East Cape, San José del Cabo, and Cabo San Lucas.

Volunteer biologists relocate threatened clutches into protected corrals. After a 45-day incubation period, thousands of hatchlings are released at sunset, directly involving locals and tourists in environmental stewardship.