Click on the image above to learn more about efforts of the Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery to study and protect Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. NPS Photo. Tamaulipas, Mexico; nesting was first documented in both Mexico and Texas in the 1940s (National Marine Fisheries Service et al 2011). Roundabout! The Kemp’s ridley is the only sea turtle with an almost circular carapace (upper shell).