Click here for the updated InfoBook - Sea Turtles.
| Species | Distribution | Habitat |
|---|---|---|
| green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) | Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, along Argentine coast, in the Mediterranean Sea, and Indo-Pacific | tropical and subtropical areas near continental coasts and around islands |
| black sea turtle (Chelonia agassizii) | west coasts of North and South America, from central Baja California to Peru | bays and protected shores; not commonly observed in the open ocean |
| loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) | worldwide | coastal tropical and subtropical waters; will venture into temperate waters, to boundaries of warm currents; prefer coastal bays, but have been found in streams, creeks, and in the open ocean |
| Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) | adults usually occur only in the Gulf of Mexico; one of two sea turtle species with a restricted distribution (the other is the flatback). Juveniles and immatures range between tropical and temperate coastal areas of the northwestern Atlantic Ocean. Occasionally, young turtles reach northern European waters and as far south as the Moroccan coast. | shallow areas with sandy and muddy bottoms - areas rich in crustaceans. |
| olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) | tropical regioins of Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans; in spite of their wide range, nearly unknown around oceanic islands | mostly coastal, traveling or resting in surface waters |
| hawksbill sea turtle (eretmochelys imbricata) | throughout central Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions; most tropical of all sea turtles | near coral reefs and rocky outcroppings in shallow coastal areas |
| flatback sea turtle (Natator depressus) | indigenous to northwestern, northern, and northeastern regions of Australia; the most restricted range of all sea turtle species | completely coastal; does not go beyond the continental shelf |
| leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) | most widely distributed of all sea turtles; found in the Gulf of Alaska and south of the Bering Sea in the northern Pacific; to Chile in the southeastern Pacific; in the Barents Sea, Newfoundland and Labrador in the North Atlantic; throughout the Indian Ocean; and to Tasmania and New Zealand in the southwestern Pacific. This species is found farther north than any other reptile, marine or terrestrial. | highly oceanic, approach coastal waters only during breeding season |
