Sea Turtles

There are seven species of sea turtles: olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea); Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii); green (Chelonia mydas); logger head (Caretta caretta); leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea); hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata); and flatback (Natator depressus). Sea turtles are protected under several international agreements, including the Convention on International Trade in Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, and the Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles.

Sea turtles are listed in the Red List of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), with Kemp's ridleys, hawksbills, Mediterranean greens, and leatherbacks classified as “critically endangered,” greens, olive ridleys, and loggerheads as “endangered,” and flatbacks as “data deficient.” Because of the difficulties associated with assessing population status for long-lived, ...