(National Marine Fisheries Service 2020, U.S. Their slightly flexible shell enables the leatherback’s shell to withstand the extreme pressure of the deep ocean waters. ![]() ![]() Its carapace (upper shell) is composed of a mosaic of small, loosely interlocking bones covered by a 1 ½ inch (4 cm) thick layer of rubbery, oil-saturated tissue. It is the only sea turtle without a hard, bony shell. One male leatherback, found on the coast of Wales in 1998, weighed over a ton!ĭeep diving flexibility! The leatherback is very different from other sea turtles. Throw your weight around! The leatherback is the largest turtle and one of the largest living reptiles in the world. Fish and Wildlife Service 2020)Ĭurrent threats: Direct harvest of eggs, juveniles, and adults incidental capture in fishing gear degradation of nesting and marine habitats (National Marine Fisheries Service 2020, U.S. Reasons for decline: Historic and ongoing direct harvest of eggs, juveniles, and adults historic and ongoing incidental capture in fishing gear (National Marine Fisheries Service 2020, U.S. Population trends: The global population of leatherbacks is estimated to have declined 40% over the past 3 generations Pacific populations have declined 80-97% over that time the Eastern Pacific population that nests in Mexico – once considered the world’s largest leatherback nesting population – is now less than 1% of the size it was in 1980 Atlantic populations are smaller but are generally increasing (National Marine Fisheries Service 2020, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1992).Ĭurrent population: Current population sizes are not well known in most areas however in the North Atlantic the population is estimated to be between 34,000 and 94,000 adults (U.S. Historic population: Early historic population levels are unknown in 1982, an estimated 115,000 females existed in the global population, with about half of all females nesting in Pacific Mexico (National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Nesting season: Nesting can occur from February to July females nest every 2-3 years and lay 5-7 clutches (nests) in one nesting season each nest contains an average of 100 eggs that take about 2 months to hatch (National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. ![]() Lifespan: Unknown age at sexual maturity unknown Non-nesting Range: The leatherback has the widest global distribution of all reptile species it occurs worldwide in tropical and temperate open ocean and coastal waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans small numbers are found as far north as British Columbia, Newfoundland, and the British Isles, and as far south as Australia, Cape of Good Hope, and Argentina (National Marine Fisheries Service 2020).ĭiet: Sea jellies and other similar, soft-bodied animals (National Marine Fisheries Service 2020, U.S. Nesting Range: In the Pacific, the largest remaining nesting assemblages are in northern South America, New Guinea, Papua New Guinea, West Africa’s Solomon Islands, Mexico, and Costa Rica in the Atlantic, the largest nesting colonies are Gabon in Africa and French Guiana in the U.S., nesting occurs in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and southeastern Florida (National Marine Fisheries Service 2020). Fish and Wildlife Service 2020)Ĭoloration: Hatchlings and adults are primarily black with some pinkish-white spotting the carapace (upper shell) has a leathery appearance with 7 longitudinal (lengthwise) ridges hatchlings have white striping on these ridges and on the edges of their flippers (National Marine Fisheries Service 2020). Size: Adult carapace (upper shell) length is 48-96 inches (121-244 cm) (U.S. Species: Leatherback ( Dermochelys coriacea)
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