The leatherback sea turtle is an endangered species of reptile.
The leatherback sea turtle takes its name from its thick oil-covered skin that takes the place of a typical turtle shell. The leatherback sea turtle is an endangered species, prized by humans for its eggs and flesh. The leatherback sea turtle inhabits the open seas, according to the "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians," coming into coastal regions only to breed.
Size
The leatherback sea turtle can reach lengths in the range of 9 feet, but the average turtle is about 6 feet long. The reptile can weigh as much as 2,000 lbs., with the typical adult about 1,200 lbs. The leatherback sea turtle has a reputation as one of the deepest diving vertebrates that breathes air, going to depths as far as 4,000 feet below the surface, notes the Humane Society of the United States website.
Shell
A series of bony plates that have a covering of strong leather-like skin forms the carapace, or shell, of this turtle. Oil throughout this shell allows the leatherback sea turtle to withstand cold ocean temperatures. The majority of turtle species have a carapace of keratin, but the one belonging to the leatherback is cartilage. The shell divides into seven sections that run vertically from head to tail, with bony ridges separating each section. The shell's "hydrodynamics" helps the turtle to be an excellent swimmer, but the shell offers much less protection than that of other sea turtles.
Reproduction
When a leatherback sea turtle comes onto land to nest, which occurs in intervals of two to three years, the female will lay about 120 eggs. Only 2/3 of the eggs remain viable and the young require around 65 days to hatch. The little turtles, measuring about 2.5 inches in length, are at high risk of predation from all sorts of creatures. Only a small fraction will reach sexual maturity, which takes from 10 to 15 years. The National Geographic website estimates that only one in a thousand survive to become adults.
Considerations
The leatherback sea turtle consumes a diet consisting mostly of jellyfish. The turtle has a global distribution, occurring in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The reptile can swim as far to the north as Canada and specimens show up as far south as New Zealand. The leatherback sea turtle lacks claws on its flippers, which are larger than those of any other sea turtle. This feature, along with the characteristics of its shell, allows the turtle to make migrations as long as 3,000 miles one-way from their breeding grounds to the regions of the seas in which they feed.
Endangered
Some of the threats the leatherback sea turtle faces include collisions with boats, entanglement in fishing nets and lines, eating plastic that it mistakes for jellyfish and the loss of its eggs to humans, who eat them as well as the adult specimens. The leatherback has been an endangered species in the United States since 1970. The turtle receives protection internationally from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. However, the populations of this turtle in many parts of the Pacific are in danger of disappearing.
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