The Florida Leatherback Turtle
Dermochelys
coriacea
The Leatherback is the largest, fastest turtle
and largest reptile in the world.
This giant ranges up to six feet long
and can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds.
These Sea Turtles are prolific travelers
and
migrate around the world.
Leatherbacks are unique in that they dive deeper
and swim farther than all other Sea Turtles.
They can also be quite fast swimmers at over 21 miles an hour,
but their average is a bit slower at .50 to nearly 3 miles an
hour.
Florida has the world's second largest
population of Leatherbacks with over 5,600
nesting on Indian River County beaches.
A Leatherback Turtle in Tobago covering her eggs
Photo credit: Paul Mannix
Leatherback Turtles are also in the Caribbean and
have found
a protector in
Suzanne Lakhan Baptiste of Trinidad
whose organization
Nature Seekers has
been saving countless turtle lives since
1990.
This beneficial Reptile eats a diet primarily consisting
of the jellyfish that frequently sting us at the beach.
The down side of this positive benefit, is that a great deal
of
plastic is also consumed by them, mistaken for this favorite
food.
Leatherbacks Turtles are Endangered
and were placed on the (ESA) in
1970.
Their primary threats as with the other Sea Turtles
are
loss of nesting area and
accidental capture,
along with egg and adult poaching.
A Leatherback Hatchling
Photo credit: Betsy Straley/USFWS
A mother will lay about 100 eggs at a time, sadly,
only about one in a thousand will survive to adulthood.
The hatchlings are approximately 2-3 inches long.
Places to learn more:
Earth Justice
Victory for Endangered Sea Turtles
National Park Service
Canaveral
National SeaShore
Nature Seekers
