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Species Diversity
According to the IUCN (The World Conservation Union) Red List of Threatened Species ™ (2018), there are 7 species of sea turtles in the world, namely:
| Scientific Name |
English Name |
Geographical distribution |
Red List category |
| Caretta caretta |
Loggerhead |
Tropical and subtropical waters |
Vulnerable |
| Chelonia mydas |
Green turtle |
Tropical and subtropical waters |
Endangered |
| Dermochelys coriacea |
Leatherback |
Widest distribution, including some cold waters such as the North Sea and the Gulf of Alaska |
Vulnerable |
| Eretmochelys imbricata |
Hawksbill turtle |
Tropical and subtropical waters |
Critically endangered |
Lepidochelys
kempii |
Kemp's Ridley |
Gulf of Mexico |
Critically endangered |
| Lepidochelys olivacea |
Olive Ridley |
Tropical and subtropical waters |
Vulnerable |
| Natator depressus |
Flatback |
Australian waters |
Data deficient |
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Flatback, Australia
Copyright: Chloe Schauble
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| Green turtle, Lamma Island, Hong Kong |
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Hawksbill, British Virgin Island
Copyright: 2005 Caroline Rogers
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Leatherback, Uruguay
Copyright: Karumbe Fotos, 2003 |
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Kemp's Ridley, USA
Copyright: Erin E. Seney, 2001
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Loggerhead, Uruguay
Copyright: Karumbe Photos |
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Olive Ridley, Mexico
Copyright: Jeffrey A. Seminoff
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According to the global distribution of the 7 species of sea turtles, can you tell which species of sea turtles are likely to be present in Hong Kong waters? Click to learn more! |
The eighth species of sea turtles
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Black sea turtle, Costa Rica
Photo credit: Fabian Andres Sanchez
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Some scientists proposed the eighth species of sea turtles, the Black turtles (Chelonia agassizii), which is localized in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and is closely related to the Green Turtles in many aspects. Nevertheless, there are strong debates over the validity of the species based on different evidence and many believe that the species is only a subspecies of the Green Turtles. In fact, both the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and the CITES do not regard this species as a valid species.
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