Atlantic ridley
- noun
- /əˈtlæntɪk ˈrɪdli/
- US
- Of the world's eight sea turtle species, only the olive ridley, the most abundant of all marine turtles, and the much rarer Kemp's, or Atlantic ridley, stage such arribadas.
Examples
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The Atlantic ridley turtle is critically endangered and primarily found in the waters off the Gulf Coast.
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Conservation efforts are underway to protect the nesting beaches of the Atlantic ridley along the coast.
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While snorkeling, we spotted an Atlantic ridley swimming gracefully through the coral reefs.
Synonyms
A small sea turtle that lives in warm shallow coastal waters and lays eggs on beaches
A large turtle that lives in the sea and uses flippers to swim
A small sea turtle living on North America's Atlantic and Gulf coasts that nests in large groups
A small grey sea turtle that nests on Gulf and Atlantic coasts of North America, also called Kemp's ridley
A grey sea turtle that lives on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America
A group of sea turtles that includes Kemp's and olive ridleys
A large sea animal with a hard shell and flippers that lives in warm oceans
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward compositional name: 'Atlantic' specifies the ocean/region and 'ridley' names a type of marine turtle, so together they denote the ridley turtle found in the Atlantic. This taxonomic/locational naming pattern is transparent and readily inferable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
Atlantic ridley combines a place and an old turtle name. Atlantic tells you the ocean where it lives and ridley is a traditional short name for this small, grey sea turtle (seen in 'Kemp's ridley'), so the name simply means a small sea turtle from the Atlantic.