Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, the smallest of the marine turtles, have a carapace length of 52-75 cm (20.3-29.3 in) and weigh 36-45 kg (80-100 lb). The carapace is rounded and flattened, with a distinct keel running down the midline. The color of both carapace and flippers is gray to olive green on top. There are five costal scutes in total. Kemp’s ridleys also have four bridge scutes, each of which contains a noticeable pore. The large scutes of the carapace overlap. Each flipper has one claw.
While adults are typically found in the Gulf of Mexico, juveniles search for food in the shallow waters around estuaries, river mouths, bays, and lagoons of Georgia. Adults prefer muddy or sandy environments where their favorite foods, crustaceans and mollusks, are abundant.
The diet of Kemp’s ridleys is highly varied. Juveniles feed on seaweed, pelagic crabs, and mollusks at the surface. At a length of around 20 cm (7.8 in), crabs and mollusks on the ocean floor become the preferred food source. Adults have very few predators. As is the case with most sea turtles, sharks and humans present the most danger. Hatchlings are defenseless and are eaten by a diversity of predators.