Sea Turtle

The Dermochelys coriacea are also known as the Leatherback Sea Turtles. They are known as the largest species of turtles and grow up to seven feet with a weight of 2,000 pounds.

They are commonly known to be pelagic animals. They are distributed worldwide; preferably in tropical and temperate waters in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.

Their large figure, swimming habits, blood flow and thick layer of fat enable them, unlike other reptilians, to generate and retain body heat in cold water. Instead of a hard external shell (the "carapace"), Leatherbacks have a flexible, almost rubber-like, carapace with ridges that enable them to plunge 42,000 feet for at least 85 minutes (exceeding the distance and duration of any other turtle species).

They have the longest migrations between breeding and feeding areas of any sea turtle. The females will go ashore to nest during the breeding season, which lasts between one to two months, and the male leatherbacks never return to land after they enter the water for the first time. After the eggs hatch, the leatherback hatchlings will make their way to the ocean. Once in the water, the current will transport them where they live in flotsam (such as brown algae) and have an omnivorous diet; for leatherbacks, this stage can last for decades unlike other sea turtle species.

The Leatherback species is at risk due to human activities and the sources used for such activities such as fishing boats and nets and the plastic debris is confused as jellyfish for a food source. The Dermochelys coriacea is designated as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Citations

Fisheries, NOAA. "Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)." NOAA Fisheries. May 15, 2014. Accessed March 07, 2017. http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/leatherback.html.

"Leatherback Turtle." WWF. Accessed March 07, 2017. http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/leatherback-turtle.

Trust, The Leatherback. "The Leatherback Trust." Life Cycle of Leatherbacks - The Leatherback Trust. Accessed March 07, 2017. http://www.leatherback.org/why-leatherbacks/life-cycle-of-leatherbacks.

"Leatherback Sea Turtle." National Geographic. March 02, 2017. Accessed March 07, 2017. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/l/leatherback-sea-turtle/.

"Lifecycle of a Turtle." SWOT. Accessed March 07, 2017. http://seaturtlestatus.org/learn/lifecycle.