Endangered Turtle Found on Pembrokeshire Beach

Generic sea turtle from Mollyroselee/Pixabay

One of the rarest turtles in the world has been found on a Pembrokshire beach by a dog walker.

Unfortunately, the turtle was dead but it was later identified by an expert as the Kemp’s Ridley – which as well as being the smallest species is also the rarest.

Usually found around the Gulf of Mexico, it is being affected by rising sea temperatures and has been found more recently migrating into the Atlantic  where it is more vulnerable to the cold when the weather changes.

The turtle has its name from Richard Moore Kemp (1825–1908) of Key West who was first to send a specimen to experts.

Sometimes the turtle is called the “heartbreak turtle” after an account from fishermen who observed the turtles “dying of a broken heart” if they were turned on their backs.

The one found at Newport was later identified by an expert at the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme in Wales. This species of turtle was close to extinction in the 1960s. Apparently, the numbers have grown in the intervening years but the creatures are still considered to be endangered.