Leatherback Sea Turtle

A leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the largest species of sea turtle and the only one that lacks a hard, bony shell. It is a highly migratory marine reptile found in oceans worldwide. 🐢

The leatherback sea turtle is named for its unique, leathery carapace, which is composed of a mosaic of tiny bones embedded in a thick, oily skin. It is black with small white spots. They have large, powerful front flippers that are streamlined and unclawed, enabling them to travel great distances. They can grow to be very large and weigh hundreds of pounds.

Leatherbacks are found in tropical, temperate, and subpolar waters. They are the deepest-diving of all sea turtles, capable of descending to great depths. They are carnivores, and their diet consists almost exclusively of jellyfish, which they consume in massive quantities. Their throats are lined with backward-pointing spines that help them swallow their slippery prey.

Leatherback sea turtles are considered a vulnerable or endangered species, with their populations threatened by plastic pollution (as they often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish), entanglement in fishing gear, and habitat loss on nesting beaches.