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THE leatherback is the only sea turtle that doesn’t have a hard shell. Its head has a deeply notched upper jaw with two cusps. Its carapace is large, elongated and flexible, with seven distinct ridges running the length of the animal. Only in hatchlings does the carapace have scales. It is made up of a layer of thin, tough, rubbery skin, strengthened by thousands of tiny bone plates. The carapace is dark grey or black with white or pale spots, while the plastron is whitish to black and marked by five (5) ridges. Hatchlings have white spots on the carapace. Their front flippers don’t have claws or scales and are longer than in other sea turtles. Their back flippers are paddle-shaped. The ridged carapace and large flippers make the leatherback equipped for long distance travelling in the ocean.
On average, adult leatherbacks are around 6.0 – 7.2 feet in total length, and generally have a weight of around 550 to 1,500 lbs. However, they can be much larger than this. The biggest one reported in modern times was over 9.8 feet when measured from the tip of its beak to the tip of its tail, with a carapace longer than 7.2 feet, and weighing about 2,000 lbs.
Habitat
Leatherbacks are pelagic, meaning they are mainly found in the open ocean, as far north as Alaska and as far south as the southern tip of Africa. It is the only reptile known to be active at low temperatures, usually present in water that is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (40 0F).
Nesting
Female leatherbacks lay clutches of approximately 80 fertilized eggs, the size of table-tennis balls, and 30 smaller, unfertilized eggs, in each nest. Females nest at intervals of 2 to 3 years, though some studies have shown that they can nest every year. They nest several times during a nesting season, typically at 8-12 day intervals. Eggs incubate for about 65 days. Unlike other species of sea turtles, leatherback females may change nesting beaches, though they tend to stay in the same region.
Diet
Leatherbacks have delicate, scissor-like jaws. Their jaws would be damaged by anything other than a diet of soft-bodied animals, so they feed almost exclusively on jellyfish.
Adult leatherback turtles have few natural predators once they mature; they are most vulnerable to predation in their early life stages. Birds, small mammals, and other opportunists dig up the nests of turtles and consume eggs. Shorebirds and crustaceans prey on the hatchings scrambling for the sea. Once they enter the water, they become prey to predatory fish and mollusks. Very few survive to adulthood.
Threats
Leatherback turtles are currently listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Redlist, with only an estimated 26,000 to 43,000 mature females left, spread out across all of the oceans of the world. Their numbers have fallen drastically during the last century, mainly due to human activities such as: exploitation of their nests/eggs by humans, being caught as by-catch by fishing boats, being killed by boat collisions, and diseases/deaths caused by the chemical/physical pollution released by human activity.
The most significant threat to leatherbacks, though, is improper solid waste management. Many turtles die when they ingest balloons and plastic bags which resemble the jellyfish that they prey on since they suffer from mal-absorption and intestinal blockage.
On average, adult leatherbacks are around 6.0 – 7.2 feet in total length, and generally have a weight of around 550 to 1,500 lbs. However, they can be much larger than this. The biggest one reported in modern times was over 9.8 feet when measured from the tip of its beak to the tip of its tail, with a carapace longer than 7.2 feet, and weighing about 2,000 lbs.
Habitat
Leatherbacks are pelagic, meaning they are mainly found in the open ocean, as far north as Alaska and as far south as the southern tip of Africa. It is the only reptile known to be active at low temperatures, usually present in water that is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (40 0F).
Nesting
Female leatherbacks lay clutches of approximately 80 fertilized eggs, the size of table-tennis balls, and 30 smaller, unfertilized eggs, in each nest. Females nest at intervals of 2 to 3 years, though some studies have shown that they can nest every year. They nest several times during a nesting season, typically at 8-12 day intervals. Eggs incubate for about 65 days. Unlike other species of sea turtles, leatherback females may change nesting beaches, though they tend to stay in the same region.
Diet
Leatherbacks have delicate, scissor-like jaws. Their jaws would be damaged by anything other than a diet of soft-bodied animals, so they feed almost exclusively on jellyfish.
Adult leatherback turtles have few natural predators once they mature; they are most vulnerable to predation in their early life stages. Birds, small mammals, and other opportunists dig up the nests of turtles and consume eggs. Shorebirds and crustaceans prey on the hatchings scrambling for the sea. Once they enter the water, they become prey to predatory fish and mollusks. Very few survive to adulthood.
Threats
Leatherback turtles are currently listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Redlist, with only an estimated 26,000 to 43,000 mature females left, spread out across all of the oceans of the world. Their numbers have fallen drastically during the last century, mainly due to human activities such as: exploitation of their nests/eggs by humans, being caught as by-catch by fishing boats, being killed by boat collisions, and diseases/deaths caused by the chemical/physical pollution released by human activity.
The most significant threat to leatherbacks, though, is improper solid waste management. Many turtles die when they ingest balloons and plastic bags which resemble the jellyfish that they prey on since they suffer from mal-absorption and intestinal blockage.
