While it is now recognized as its own distinct and critically endangered species, the nickname persisted for decades.
: In 1880, it was formally named Lepidochelys kempii after Richard Kemp, who sent the first specimens to Harvard for study. bastard turtle
: For a long time, no one could find where these turtles nested, which fueled the theory that they were sterile hybrids that didn't reproduce. While it is now recognized as its own