The Leatherback Sea Turtle

Taxonomy
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Family:	Dermochelyidae
Genus:	Dermochelys
Species:	Dermochelys Coriacea
Status:	Critically Endangered

 
Atlantic Leatherbacks are the largest living turtles in the world. Adults usually range from 137 to 178 cm in length and weigh 295 to 544 kg. Larger individuals are uncommon. This species has its throat lined with backward-pointing spines, an adaptation that enables it to feed extensively on jellyfish. Leatherbacks are primarily pelagic animals. The biggest ever recorded Leatherback turtle was a male stranded on a Welsh beach that reached 256 cm long and weighed 916 kg.

The shell of the Leatherback turtle is different than other species. Instead of supporting the traditional bone armor, this reptile has a 1.5 inch thick shell which is made of skin and oily flesh. This shell has vertical ridges which join at the tail end. This gives the turtle shell a shape like a water drop. This shape and ridges, along with the smooth oily shell, enable the turtle to swim faster and dive deeper than any other turtle. Leatherbacks can dive down to an impressive 4,200 feet. They go deeper than any other turtle. They can also stay underwater for around an hour and a half.

Leatherbacks can be found almost all over the world. Inhabiting the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, Leatherbacks are distributed from the northern parts of the world, like Canada, to the southern end, i.e. Australia. This kind of distribution is possible because Leatherbacks can generate and contain body heat. A habit very rarely found in reptiles, it can help the Leatherbacks retain their body temperature even through the coldest of waters.

After mating at sea, the female Leatherbacks come to the beach to make a nest. The process of nest making is undertaken by night. The female turtle swims ashore and digs a hole in the sand and fills it up with around 70 to 90 eggs. It covers the nest with sand, making it difficult for the egg poachers to detect the nest. The males never return to the shore and spend their lives out in the sea.

Leatherback nests and hatchling mostly fall prey to human activities. The survival ratio of Leatherback hatchling is estimated to be around one in a thousand. Eggs are taken from nests by humans; hatchlings are killed by fishing nets or hit by boats. Leatherbacks can also die if they eat floating plastic debris.

The U.S. Endangered Species Act enlists the Leatherbacks as endangered. Measures are taken to ensure and improve the survival of the Leatherbacks. The Atlantic area has a stable number of Leatherbacks. Recently there has been an increase in the number. However, in the Pacific and the Indian Oceans, the population of Leatherbacks is declining.