AnimalsThe olive ridley is a small sea turtle known for mass nesting, when many thousands of females come ashore together over a few nights. This event is called an arribada. The beaches of Odisha, such as Gahirmatha and Rushikulya, are among the most important in the world.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Lepidochelys olivacea
- Group
- Reptiles
- Diet
- Omnivore (eats plants and animals)
- Lives in
- Warm seas worldwide
- Habitat
- Open sea and sandy beaches
- A young one is called
- hatchling
- A group is called
- bale
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Reptilia
- Order Testudines
- Family Cheloniidae
- Genus Lepidochelys
- Species Lepidochelys olivacea
Other members of the family Cheloniidae on this site: green sea turtle.
More distant relatives in the order Testudines: Indian star tortoise.
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The olive ridley sea turtle is listed as Vulnerable. The species faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.