A rare Kemp’s ridley turtle now calls Crown Center’s Sea Life aquarium home, but it needs a name

One of the rarest sea turtles in the world has called Missouri home for about a month now, but it still doesn’t have a name.

After several years spent convalescing at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland, it was determined that the rescued Kemp’s ridley sea turtle would not be able to return to the wild and would need a permanent home. Enter Sea Life Kansas City. Making the more than 1,000-mile trek from the East Coast via Turtles Fly Too, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the transport of endangered species, especially sea turtles, the endangered Kemp’s ridley turtle landed in Missouri to much fanfare, even making the local TV news. Although there are other rescued sea turtles at Sea Life and around the state, this is the only Kemp’s ridley sea turtle in Missouri. The yet-to-be-named Kemp’s ridley joins two other rescued green sea turtles, Gertrude and Lou, at the Crown Center aquarium.

“We’re really excited about her and the journey she took to get here,” says Kayla Leyden, a Sea Life curator. “There will be many memories created with the Kemp’s ridley here, and we want the community to be involved in picking her name.”

It’s estimated that there are only between 8,000 to 10,000 Kemp’s ridley turtles left in the world. They are not only the most vulnerable species of sea turtle but also the smallest. At maturity, they only reach between 80 to 100 pounds. Kemp’s ridley’s habitats are also limited to various spots in the Gulf of Mexico and along the East Coast.

This tiny species is also known for its unusual and dramatic nesting habits. During their nesting season, hundreds of females are seen arriving on sandy shores and laying their eggs in broad daylight. From April to July, females will do this up to three times, burying approximately 100 eggs each time. After about two months, hatchlings emerge from their holes and head straight to the ocean.

Sea Life’s Kemp’s ridley was rescued off the coast of Virginia Beach in 2023 after accidentally being caught on a fishing hook. An X-ray showed the sea turtle had swallowed a hook and needed a dehooking procedure. After surgery, the turtle needed time to recover and was transferred to the National Aquarium for long-term rehabilitation. There, it was discovered that the turtle also suffers from arthritis in its front flippers, making it unable to ever survive in the wild. But Sea Life officials promise the juvenile turtle, who will be feasting mostly on blue crab, will have a long and healthy life here in the heart of America.

“We are excited to be sharing [the Kemp’s ridley’s] story with our Sea Life visitors,” says Leyden, who, like the turtle, is originally from Virginia and has been working at Sea Life for three years. The rescue turtles’ roles are to open the world of ocean conservation to Sea Life visitors, Leyden says.

While Gertrude, who has been at the aquarium since 2013 and was Sea Life’s first rescue, and Lou, who began calling the Aquarium home in 2018, reside in the big tank, the Kemp’s ridley will stay in a smaller sanctuary tank for now.   

What’s in a name

To learn more about about how you can suggest a name for the Kemp’s ridley turtle, check out Sea Life’s Facebook page, @SEALIFEKansasCity.

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