Padre Island National Seashore Factsheets
Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles
The Statistics
- Smallest and most endangered sea turtle on Earth
- Only 3,000-5,000 left in the world
- Only 900 breeding females are believed to survive
- Species is only native to Padre Island National Seashore and Rancho Nuevo, Tamau-lipas, Mexico
- In 1978, relocation effort moved nesting turtles from Rancho Nuevo to Padre Island National Seashore as part of a US federal effort to save Kemp’s Ridleys from extinction
The Eggs
- So far in 2003, 1 nest with 94 eggs has been identified
- In 2002, only 23 nests were identified by NPS
- In 2001, there were zero nests
- 50 years ago, up to 40,000 females were recorded nesting in a single day in Rancho Nuevo. Now less than 2,000 nest in an entire year at Rancho Nuevo and Padre Island combined.
- Females excavate a pit on the beach and lay between 50-160 white ping-pong sized eggs and then return to water
- The eggs incubate 50-70 days then hatch at night
- Between one in 200 and one in 20 will live to see adulthood, sexual maturity does not occur until between the ages of 8 and 10
Threats From the Trucks
- Baby turtles are too small to maneuver the ruts in the sand caused by the trucks
- Compacting the sand makes digging nests harder
- If trucks fail to detect nests, eggs or hatchlings are crushed
- Unknown factors. Turtles always return to same location to nest. Truck traffic and drilling could damage imprinting process through noise, vibrations, smells and light pollution.
Other Threats in the Area
- Beach Pollution and trash dumping from offshore oil tankers
- Shrimping
- Overfishing
- Commercial beach development
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[ Natural Gas Drilling on Padre Island ]
>> Kill the Drill on Padre Island: Overview
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Take Action!Write the Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton, demanding she revoke BNP Petroleum's drilling permit.
Our online form makes it easy!
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Padre Island Claymation Video!
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Help spread the word! BNP Petroleum's drilling project on the Padre Island National Seashore will require huge trucks such as 18-wheelers to make 20 trips a day up and down the beach. The damage this can cause to the seashore is just one of the byproducts of drilling that puts Kemp's Ridley sea turtle at a serious risk of extinction. 
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