Leatherback Sea Turtles

 The Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)

Species Description

  • Leatherback sea turtles are the largest turtles in the world 
  • Leatherback sea turtles grow to be 750-1000 pounds 
  • Leatherback sea turtles are 5-6 feet long
  • Leatherback sea turtles lay clutches of around 110 eggs
  • Leatherback sea turtles migrate about 10,000 miles per year from foraging grounds to breeding grounds 
  • Leatherback sea turtles can dive deeper than any other sea turtle at 4,000 feet 
  • Leatherback sea turtles lack a traditional shell and have as the name implies a thick leathery skin with interwoven bones underneath 
  • Leatherback sea turtles can hold their breath for 85 minutes 

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Habitat and Range 

  • Leatherback sea turtles given their incredible amount of migration have a very large range mostly following food 
  • Leatherback sea turtles primarily nest in tropical and subtropical beaches 
  • Leatherback sea turtles have an average distance of 3,700 miles between foraging grounds and breeding grounds

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Ecosystem Niche 

  • Leatherback sea turtles lack crushing and chewing plates
  • Leatherback sea turtles feed on soft bodied prey like jellyfish and salps 
  • Leatherback sea turtles have barbs in the back of their mouth to keep jellyfish in place 
  • Leatherback sea turtles are primary predators 
Cause of Decline 
  • The number one cause of leatherback decline is bycatch 
  • Leatherbacks both the grown adults and their eggs are directly hunted 
  • Leatherbacks are killed every year by vessel strikes 
  • Climate change massively threatens leatherbacks through beach erosion from rising sea levels, higher temperature altering the ratio of males to females, and increasingly intense storms washing out nests 
Ecosystem Importance 
  • As a primary predator they keep the populations of the abundant jellyfish in check
  • If they went extinct the population of jellyfish would explode causing overcrowding and depletion of other food sources for other animals 
Conservation Efforts 
  • NOAA and The US Fish and Wildlife Service have been working together since 1977 to protect the leatherbacks 
  • NOAA is reconstructing and protecting beaches for nesting 
  • NOAA is developing turtle exclusion devices for fishing gear 
  • NOAA is designating and protecting critical breeding grounds 
Biogeography in Conservation 
  • NOAA has been tracking leatherbacks for years to learn more about their movement patterns to better protect vital areas 
  • NOAA is also studying foraging patters to understand how they interact with their prey 
How to Help
  • Reduce waste in the oceans to keep beaches clean so the turtles can nest 
  • Do not approach or touch sea turtles 
  • Reduce consumption of seafood to reduce fishing to reduce bycatch 
  • If you go on a beach vacation look up the number of a local wildlife protection organization that can help a turtle in distress if you see one 
  • As always spread the word! The more people that know about the issues facing the leatherback sea turtle the more people can help protect them!!


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