Leatherback Sea Turtle

1. Leatherback Sea Turtle By: Sam Lee

2. Body Description • Largest of all living sea turtles. • Can reach up to 6 feet. • Can weigh up close to a ton (largest ever recorded weighed in at 2,019 lbs). • Shell feels leathery, often covered with white or yellow spots.

3. Circulatory System • Leatherbacks are thermoregulators and can therefore adapt their circulation capabilities to maintain a stable core body temperature above freezing in extreme temperatures. • Leatherback turtles have been reported to have the ability to slow their heart rate down to the point where almost nine minutes may pass between beats • Blood flow is also shunted away from non vital tissues and organs and is directed towards the heart, brain and nervous system

4. Reproduction • In the United States, nesting occurs from about March to July. • Female leatherbacks nest an average of 5 to 7 times within a nesting season, with an observed maximum of 11 nests. • Nests are constructed at night in clutches of about 70 to 80 eggs measuring 2 inches in diameter.

5. Growth/Development • External • Leatherbacks are believed to reach sexual maturity in 6 to 10 years • Incubation takes 55 to 75 days, and emergence of the hatchlings occurs at night.

6. Taxonomy • Kingdom: Animalia • Phylum: Chordata • Class: Sauropsida • Order: Testudines • Suborder: Cryptodira • Family: Dermochelyidae • Genus: Dermochelys • Species: Coriacea

7. Habitat • Adult females require sandy nesting beaches backed with vegetation. • The preferred beaches have proximity to deep water and generally rough seas.

8. Why is it Endangered? • The crash of the leatherback population, once the world’s largest population, is believed primarily to be the result of exploitation by humans for eggs and meat. • Loss of nesting habitat from coastal development. • Marine pollution and debris.