(Dermochelys coriacea)
The leatherback is the largest of the marine turtles and gets its name from the black, leathery skin that covers its carapace (shell). They are unique amongst reptiles in that they have some internal control of their own body temperature, so can forage in temperatures lower than 5oC and can dive to depths of over 1km. Click here to see a leatherback turtle nesting at Arkive.org.
How big? Usually about 2m long and weighing around 600 kgs. The biggest turtle ever recorded was a male leatherback known as the Harlech Turtle that washed up dead at Harlech, North Wales in the UK in 1988. It had drowned after entangling in fishing gear and it measured 2.91m in length and weighed 916 kg!
What's on the menu? Jellyfish and other small soft-bodied floating sea creatures. Leatherbacks often mistake litter, such as plastic bags and balloons, for jellyfish and eat them. Plastic can block a turtle's gut, causing death by starvation. Please dipose of your litter responsibly.
Where do they live? They have been recorded at sea north of Norway and as far south as Tasmania! Important rookeries are found on the coasts of Central and South America as well as West and South Africa. In summer, leatherbacks visit UK waters where they feed on jellyfish.
Endangered? Leatherback turtles are considered to be critically endangered by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). In some places nesting females are killed for their meat and their eggs are harvested. At sea leatherbacks seem to be particularly vulnerable to entanglement in fishing gear, especially long lines and gill nets.
If you want to find out more about leatherback turtles and how you can help them, why not Adopt-a-Turtle?
