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Leatherback Turtle

The leatherback is the largest turtle in the world — and one of the most extraordinary. Unlike other sea turtles, it doesn’t have a hard shell. Instead, it sports a leathery shell with seven pronounced ridges which, along with their large flippers, helps it undertake the longest migration of all sea turtles. 

 

Leatherbacks can grow up to 2.1 meters (7 feet) long and weigh as much as 900 kilograms (2,000 pounds). Their streamlined bodies are built for endurance, with powerful flippers that can span around 2.7 meters (8.9 feet) and propel them through migrations of thousands of miles between tropical nesting beaches and cooler, prey-filled waters. 

Unlike other sea turtles, leatherbacks feed on gelatinous prey like jellyfish and salps. Because of their special diet, the sea turtles’ mouth and throat are full of backwards-pointing spines to help keep their soft-bodied prey down after consuming it. In their search for food, leatherbacks go to extreme lengths — traveling to sub-polar waters colder than any other sea turtle can tolerate and diving to depths up to 1,219 meters (4,000) feet, deeper than any other sea turtle can go. They can handle colder waters thanks to specialized network of blood vessels, called a counter-current exchange, that allows them to maintain a body temperature higher than the water temperature around them9. 

 

 

Leatherbacks face serious threats despite their wide range and adaptability. Accidental capture in fishing gear is one of the leading causes of death, as well as hunting of sea turtles and their eggs. Habitat loss and climate change are also major concerns, as they threaten nesting beaches and hatchling survival. Plastic pollution also poses a problem for sea turtles, as they can ingest marine debris or become entangled in it. Because of these threats, leatherbacks are considered Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List.

 

 

These sea turtles have the widest distribution of any reptile, meaning it takes a global conservation effort to protect them. In the United States, Oceana has successfully campaigned for additional measures to protect these reptiles, as well as other endangered species like humpback whales, from becoming entangled in commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear. We also work around the world to safeguard ocean habitat for wildlife like leatherbacks as well as to protect threatened species from being unintentionally caught as bycatch in fishing gear. Learn more about our campaigns and see how you can get involved here. 

 

 

 

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