Leatherback Sea Turtle
Conservation status
Critically endangered (IUCN)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animal Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Testudines Family: Dermochelyidae Fitzinger, 1843 Genus: Dermochelys Blainville, 1816 Species: D. coriacea
Binomial name
Dermochelys coriacea (Vandelli, 1761)

The Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the biggest of all living turtles, reaching a length of over 2.7 m (8.8 ft) and weight of 900 kg (2,000 lb), and is the world's fourth largest reptile, behind the larger crocodiles. The Leatherback Sea Turtle is found in all tropical and subtropical oceans, and its range has been known to extend well into the Arctic Circle^[1]. It is the only existent species in the genus Dermochelys and the family Dermochelyidae. Download high resolution version (1784x1168, 1447 KB)http://www. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn2. ... . ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... “Animalia” redirects here. ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Subclasses Anapsida Diapsida Synonyms Reptilia Laurenti, 1768 Reptiles are tetrapods and amniotes, animals whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane, and members of the class Sauropsida. ... Families See text Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudinata, most of whose body is shielded by a special bony shell developed from their ribs. ... Leopold Fitzinger. ... Year 1843 (MDCCCXLIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville (September 12, 1777 - May 1, 1850) was a French zoologist and anatomist. ... 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Domenico Agostino Vandelli (c1735 - June 27, 1816) was an Italian naturalist. ... 1761 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... blue: sea turtles, black: land turtles Suborders Cryptodira Pleurodira See text for families. ... The or meter (see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... The U.S. National Prototype Kilogram, which currently serves as the primary standard for measuring mass in the U.S. It was assigned to the United States in 1889 and is periodically recertified and traceable to the primary international standard, The Kilogram, held at the Bureau International des Poids et... The pound (abbreviations: lb or, sometimes in the United States, #) is a unit of mass in a number of different systems, including various systems of units of mass that formed part of English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Genera Mecistops Crocodylus Osteolaemus See full taxonomy. ... A noontime scene from the Philippines on a day when the sun is almost directly overhead. ... The subtropics refers to the zones of the Earth immediately north and south of the tropic zone, which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, at latitude 23. ... Animated map exhibiting the worlds oceanic waters. ... World map showing the Arctic Circle in red A sign along the Dalton Highway marking the location of the Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. ... In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity. ...

Anatomy and morphology

This turtle species has many unique features that distinguish it greatly from other sea turtles. Its shell lacks the bony scutes of other turtles, comprising mainly connective tissue. Various seashells Danielle A shell is the hard, rigid outer covering, or integument, allanimals. ... A scute (Latin scutum, shield) is a horny, chitinous, or bony external plate or scale, as on the shell of a turtle or the underside of a snake. ...

The metabolic rate of the Leatherback is about 4 times higher than one would expect for a reptile of its size; this, coupled with counter-current heat exchangers, the insulation provided by its oily body and large size, allow it to maintain a body temperature as much as 18 °C (32 ºF) above that of the surrounding water. Some scientists hypothesize that the leatherback might have some capacity to generate its own body heat (like a mammal), although reptiles in general have been defined as ectotherms ('cold-blooded') and are thought not to be able to do so. Santorio Santorio (1561-1636) in his steelyard balance, from Ars de statica medecina, first published 1614 Metabolism (from μεταβολισμος(metavallo), the Greek word for change), in the most general sense, is the ingestion and breakdown of complex compounds, coupled... Subclasses Anapsida Diapsida Synonyms Reptilia Laurenti, 1768 Reptiles are tetrapods and amniotes, animals whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane, and members of the class Sauropsida. ... Counter current heat exchange is an highly efficient means of minimizing heat loss through the skins surface because heat is recycled instead of being dissipated. ... The degree Celsius (°C) is a unit of temperature named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744), who first proposed a similar system in 1742. ... Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736), who proposed it in 1724. ... Subclasses Subclass Allotheria* Order Docodonta (extinct) Order Multituberculata (extinct) Order Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Order Triconodonta (extinct) Order Volaticotheria (extinct) Subclass Prototheria Order Monotremata Subclass Theria Infraclass Trituberculata (extinct) Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in females for the nourishment of... Orders  Crocodilia - Crocodilians scary crocodiles. ... Cold-blooded organisms, more technically known as poikilothermic, are animals that have no internal metabolic mechanism for regulating their body temperatures. ...

See also: gigantothermy

Gigantothermy is a phenomenon with significance in biology and paleontology, whereby large, bulky ectothermic animals are more easily able to maintain a constant, relatively high body temperature that smaller animals by virtue of their greater volume to surface area ratio. ...

Distribution

The leatherback sea turtle is found throughout the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, from as far north as Labrador, Alaska and Norway to as far south as Chile, the Cape of Good Hope, Argentina, and the southern end of New Zealand. Mayumba, in Gabon, Central Africa, is home to the largest population of nesting leatherback turtles on the continent.

In the summer months, Atlantic Leatherback turtles are most common from the Gulf of Maine in the north to the coast of central Florida in the south. They have been sighted as far north as the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada. Pacific Leatherback turtles are most often seen off the Hawaiian Islands, where they are known to congregate north of the archipelago. Leatherback turtles have also been sighted off of the northwestern coast of the United States near the mouth of the Columbia River, where they are believed to be foraging in the nutrient-rich waters of the North Pacific^[2]. Gulf of Maine The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the northeastern coast of North America. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... The Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the worlds largest estuary, is the outlet of North Americas Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean. ... Map of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of islands that stretches 2,400 km in a northwesterly direction from the southern tip of the Island of Hawai‘i. ... The Mergui Archipelago An archipelago is a landform which consists of a chain or cluster of islands. ... The Columbia River (French: fleuve Columbia) is a river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. ...

Ecology and life history

Habitat

The turtles prefer deep water but are most often seen within sight of land. In the summer they are often seen basking near the surface, particularly in the Long Island Sound, where they have been injured by collisions with boat propellers. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... New York City waterways: 1. ...

Feeding ecology

Leatherback turtles subsist on a diet of jellyfish, as well as other aquatic animals and plants. Giant leatherback turtles travel each year from the Caribbean to the northern US, Canada, UK and Europe, following the Gulf Stream in order to eat the jellyfish found there. Orders Stauromedusae Coronatae Semaeostomeae Rhizostomae Jellyfish are marine invertebrates belonging to the Scyphozoan class. ... West Indian redirects here. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... World map showing the location of Europe. ... For the album by Ocean Colour Scene, see North Atlantic Drift (album) The Gulf Stream is orange and yellow in this representation of water temperatures of the Atlantic. ...

Life history

Leatherbacks mate at sea; males never leave the water once they enter it as hatchlings. Females mate every three or four years, returning to the beaches where they themselves hatched, to deposit their eggs. One female may lay as many as ten clutches in one breeding season. The interval between laying is about nine days. Mating occurs after the age of three years. The Beach in Calella, Spain. ... In most birds and reptiles, an egg (Latin ovum) is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. ...

After encountering a female (who possibly exudes a pheromone to signal her reproductive status) the leatherback male uses head movements, nuzzling, biting or flipper movements to determine her receptiveness. Marine turtles often face a difficult and sometimes even dangerous task when attempting to reproduce. The male has to mount the female from behind and latch on in order to be able to copulate, but sometimes their shells obstruct this process Mating can also become dangerous when the male is so desperately overeager to find a mate that he stays underwater for too long, and after encountering the female, he must spend another hour with no air. Fertilization is internal, and multiple males usually mate with a single female. This may have evolved to insure against male infertility, and sperm depletion to allow females to select the highest quality sperm, and increase the genetic variation amongst offspring. However, studies have shown that the process of polyandry in sea turtles actually reduces fertilization success.^{[citation needed]} Fanning honeybee exposes Nasonov gland (white-at tip of abdomen) releasing pheromone to entice swarm into an empty hive A pheromone is any chemical or set of chemicals produced by a living organism that transmits a message to other members of the same species. ... In social anthropology and sociobiology, polyandry (Greek: poly- many, andros- man) means a female forming a sexual union with more than one male. ...

Cleavage of the cell begins within hours of fertilization, but development is suspended during the gastrulation period of movements and infoldings of embryonic cells, while the eggs are being laid. Development soon resumes, but the embryos remain extremely susceptible to movement-induced mortality in their nests until the membranes fully develop through the first 20-25 days of incubation, when the structural differentiation of body and organs (organogenesis) soon follows. 1 - blastula, 2 - gastrula; orange - ectoderm, red - endoderm. ... It has been suggested that embryology be merged into this article or section. ... Organogenesis is a stage of animal development where the ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm are formed. ...

The nesting beach must be comprised of soft sand because their soft leatherback shells are easily damaged by hard rocks. The beach must also have a shallow approach angle from the sea. This is a source of vulnerability for the turtles because such beaches are easily eroded. Females excavate a nest above the high-tide line with their flippers. They then begin to lay their eggs, producing about 110 ova, 70 of which are large and fertile, the remaining 40 smaller and sterile. The female carefully back-fills the nest, making sure to disguise it from predators with a scattering of sand. Patterns in the sand Sand is a granular material made up of fine rock particles. ... It has been suggested that Theory of tides be merged into this article or section. ... A human ovum An ovum (loosely, egg or egg cell) is a female sex cell or gamete. ...

The eggs hatch in about 7 days. Like some other reptiles, the ambient temperature of the nest determines the sex of the hatchlings. The eggs hatch while still buried under the sand. After nightfall, the hatchlings dig their way to the surface and make their way to the sea. Once they reach the ocean they are generally not seen again until maturity. Very few survive this mysterious period to become adults. Most are eaten by birds or other reptiles before they have a chance to reach the water. When the lights of a city are visible from a hatching site, Leatherback hatchlings are attracted to the lights and away from the sea. Many of these hatchlings are struck by traffic or otherwise perish. Image File history File links Dermochelys_coriacea_001. ... Software development stages In computer programming, development stage terminology expresses how the development of a piece of software has progressed and how much further development it may require. ... Orders  Crocodilia - Crocodilians scary crocodiles. ... Room temperature, in laboratory reports, is taken to be roughly 21–23 degrees Celsius (68–72 degrees Fahrenheit), or 294–296 kelvins. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Patterns in the sand Sand is a granular material made up of fine rock particles. ...

Atlantic Leatherback Turtles nest between February and July from Georgia in the United States to the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean and to Suriname and Guyana. With nearly 30,000 turtles visiting its beaches each year to April, Mayumba National Park is the most important leatherback turtle nesting beach in Africa, and possibly worldwide. Pacific Leatherbacks nested on beaches from Malaysia to Costa Rica until the last few years, but since 2001 numbers have dropped dramatically, and Pacific Leatherbacks may be facing extinction. They are under the listing for endangered animals. West Indian redirects here. ... Mayumba National Park is a national park dedicated to the protection of marine life located at the southwestern tip of Gabon. ... The Dodo, shown here in illustration, is an often-cited[1] example of modern extinction. ...

Conservation

In the United States the Leatherback turtle has been classified as endangered across its range since 1970. It is also endangered in Canada. It is also listed on Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). This makes it illegal to harm or kill the turtles. Mayumba National Park in Gabon, Central Africa was created to protect the most important leatherback turtle nesting beach in Africa, and quite possibly the world. More than 30,000 turtles come to nest on Mayumba's beaches between September and April each year. An endangered species is a species whose population is so small that it is in danger of becoming extinct. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between Governments, drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). ...

Adult Leatherback turtles are large animals that are not particularly vulnerable to natural predators. Eggs and hatchlings are most vulnerable to predation of all kinds. Birds, dogs and other opportunists are known to dig up nests and consume eggs. New hatchlings are also vulnerable on their journey from nest to sea. Once they enter the water they become prey to many new predators and very few survive to adulthood.

Human activity endangers Leatherback turtles in many ways. Turtle eggs are harvested by people in Puerto Rico, the surrounding islands, and several African countries.^{[citation needed]} In Malaysia, where the turtle is practically locally extinct, the eggs were considered a delicacy.^[3] The Dodo, shown here in illustration, is an often-cited[1] example of extinction. ...

Development of beaches can disturb or destroy the particular kind of habitat that Leatherbacks need to nest, and the lights of development can cause hatchlings to move away from the sea rather than toward it. Human use of beaches can crush nests and hatchlings or bury eggs too deep for the hatchlings to emerge. Finally humans may disturb nesting females out of curiosity.

While adults are at sea their major threats are all from humans. Ingesting plastic, rubber, tar, oil, and other synthetic materials can kill an adult Leatherback or severely injure it. Many have been injured by colliding with boats, especially in shallow water. The equipment associated with commercial fishing, including lines, nets, ropes, and cables can entangle adult turtles and cause them to drown. Though "Turtle Exclusion Devices" are mandated on nets, they often fail to allow an animal the size of an adult Leatherback to escape. The US NOAA estimates that about 640 adult Leatherback turtles are killed each year by commercial fishing enterprise. Industrial longline fishing for tuna, swordfish, sharks, and other species is the greatest threat to the survival of leatherback sea turtles, especially in the Pacific Ocean. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a scientific agency of the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere. ... Long-line fishing is a commercial fishing technique that uses hundreds or even thousands of baited hooks hanging from a single line. ...

Appearances in popular culture

• The leatherback sea turtle is one of the 20 animals in Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania
• One contestant in the annual Great Turtle Race for Leatherback Turtles is Stephanie Colburtle, named in honor of Stephen Colbert and was monitored by him closely on his TV show The Colbert Report.

This article is about Stephen Colbert, the actor. ... The Colbert Report (pronounced kɔl. ...

References

2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... February 10 is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... February 10 is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Bibliography

• Sarti Martinez (2000). Dermochelys coriacea. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is critically endangered
• Wood R.C., Johnson-Gove J., Gaffney E.S. & Maley K.F. (1996) - Evolution and phylogeny of leatherback turtles (Dermochelyidae), with descriptions of new fossil taxa. Chel. Cons. Biol., 2(2): 266-286, Lunenburg.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

See also

• Chelonioidea. The sea turtle superfamily.

• Caretta caretta. The loggerhead turtle.

• Chelonia mydas. The green sea turtle.

• Eretmochelys imbricata. The hawksbill turtle.

• Lepidochelys kempii. The Kemp's Ridley turtle.

• Lepidochelys olivacea. The olive ridley turtle.

• Natator depressus. The flatback turtle.

• Stephen Colbert. The patron saint of leatherback turtles.

Genera Family Cheloniidae (Oppel, 1811) Caretta Lepidochelys Chelonia Eretmochelys Natator Family Dermochelyidae Family Protostegidae (extinct) Family Toxochelyidae (extinct) Family Thalassemyidae (extinct) Sea turtles (Chelonioidea) are turtles found in all the worlds oceans with the exception of the Arctic Ocean, and some species travel between oceans. ... Genera Family Cheloniidae (Oppel, 1811) Caretta Chelonia Eretmochelys Lepidochelys Natator Family Dermochelyidae Dermochelys Family Protostegidae (extinct) Family Toxochelyidae (extinct) Family Thalassemyidae (extinct) Sea turtles (Chelonioidea) are turtles found in all the worlds oceans except the Arctic Ocean, and some species travel between oceans. ... Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta), as with other sea turtles, females return to lay their eggs on or near the same beach where they hatched. ... Binomial name Caretta caretta Linnaeus, 1758 The Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta), is characterized by a large head with blunt jaws. ... Binomial name Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758) The Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) is a large sea turtle, the only member of the genus Chelonia (Brongniart, 1800). ... Binomial name Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758) This page redirects from Chelonia, which is the genus name of this turtle, but has also been used for the order Testudines of all turtles and tortoises. ... Binomial name Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766) The Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a sea turtle that is distinguished by the following characteristics. ... Binomial name Eretmochelys imbricata Linnaeus, 1766 Range of the Hawksbill turtle subspecies Eretmochelys imbricata bissa (Rüppell, 1835) Eretmochelys imbricata imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766) Synonyms Eretmochelys imbricata squamata junior synonym The hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. ... Binomial name Lepidochelys kempii (Garman, 1880) Kemps Ridley (Lepiochelys kempii) is a critically endangered species of sea turtle. ... Binomial name Lepidochelys kempi (Garman, 1880) The Kemps Ridley (Lepiochelys kempi) is a critically endangered species of sea turtle. ... Binomial name Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829) The Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) is one of the smallest species of sea turtle. ... Binomial name Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829) The Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) is one of the smallest species of sea turtle. ... Binomial name Natator depressus (Garman, 1880) The Flatback Turtle (Natator depressus) is a sea turtle endemic to the continental shelf of Australia. ... Binomial name Natator depressus (Garman, 1880) The Flatback Turtle (Natator depressus) is a sea turtle endemic to the continental shelf of Australia. ... This article is about Stephen Colbert, the actor. ... Saint Quentin is the patron saint of locksmiths and is also invoked against coughs and sneezes. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Dermochelys coriacea

• SWOT Report, volume 1 - Featuring the leatherback nesting beaches of the world along with the most up-to-date information on the global status of leatherback turtles.
• The Turtles.org home page
• Photos and information about leatherback turtles in Mayumba National Park, home to the highest density of nesting leatherback turtles in Africa, and possibly worldwide.
• The Leatherback Trust
• The Oceanic Resource Foundation
• NOAA Office of Protected Resources
• The Physics factbook
• Leatherback Sea Turtle at CRESLI
• Leatherback turtle at Animal Diversity Web
• Parismina Turtle Commission
• Kawana Campaign paper: Leatherback Turtles, Dermochelys coriacea, Nesting in French Guiana, 1978-1995 with more sources
• Irish Sea Leatherback Turtle Project
• Nova Scotia Leatherback Turtle Working Group
• The Great Turtle Race, a conservation group that monitors Leatherbacks as the swim from Costa Rica, where they've just laid their eggs, back to their natural territory of the Galapagos Islands.

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... NASA Satellite photo of the Galápagos archipelago. ...