The leatherback sea turtle is an awe-inspiring ocean giant. It is the largest turtle species on Earth today. Leatherbacks have existed for over 100 million years, surviving dinosaurs and massive changes to the oceans. But now these iconic turtles face new challenges to their survival from humans.
The magnitude of the Leatherback Sea Turtle Size
Leatherbacks are simply enormous. They grow over 6 feet long on average and weigh almost 2,000 pounds. The heaviest leatherback ever found was a colossal 2,019 pounds! To picture their size, an adult leatherback is about as long as a small car. They usually grow up to 1.8 to 2.2 meters in length. These massive dimensions make them the biggest turtle and heaviest reptile in the world.
How Big is the Leatherback Turtle?
Leatherbacks are simply enormous. They grow over 6 feet long on average and weigh almost 2,000 pounds. The heaviest leatherback ever found was a colossal 2,019 pounds! To picture their size, an adult leatherback is about as long as a small car. These massive dimensions make them the biggest turtle and heaviest reptile in the world.
How Long Do Leatherbacks Live?
In the wild, leatherbacks can live for 45 years or more. What eats a sea turtle in this size? Their life journey starts as a tiny hatchling emerging from its sandy nest and scrambling to the sea while avoiding birds and other sea turtle predators. Only 1 out of 1,000 baby leatherbacks is estimated to survive to adulthood. Once mature, they seem to resistant to natural causes of death. However, human activities cut many lives short.
What Do Leatherbacks Eat?
Leatherbacks have a unique diet for a marine turtle. While other sea turtles munch on seagrasses, sponges or fish, leatherbacks feed almost exclusively on soft-bodied animals like jellyfish and salps. Their favorite meal is the dangerous Portuguese Man o’ War.
Leatherbacks’ mouths and throats are lined with backward-pointing spines that prevent slippery prey from escaping and protect them from painful stings. This useful adaptation allows them to feast on venomous jellyfish that would harm other animals.
Why Are Leatherbacks Endangered?
Leatherbacks have survived for 100 million years, but today these ancient mariners face an uncertain future. Their global population has plummeted up to 40% in recent decades, wining them an official status as “Vulnerable” from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
There are several key reasons why leatherbacks sea turtles are endangered:
- Bycatch from Fishing Gear
Leatherbacks often get entangled in the longlines and fishing nets used by commercial fisherman targeting other species, resulting in drowning. Up to 200,000 sea turtles die this way per year.
- Nesting Beach Development
Female leatherbacks rely on dark, quiet beaches to come ashore and lay their eggs in nests buried in the sand. Growing coastal towns and tourism now crowd many nesting sites. Beach lounge chairs and umbrellas also block access.
- Poaching
In some countries, leatherback turtle eggs are considered delicacies and adults are hunted for their meat, oil and shells. This robs turtles from reproducing and maintaining healthy populations.
- Ocean Pollution
Leatherbacks often mistake plastic bags and balloons floating in the ocean for their jellyfish prey. Eating or getting entangled in marine trash can injure or kill them. Chemical pollution also contaminates their habitat and food sources.
Remarkable Leatherback Turtle Facts
Here are a few more intriguing traits of this unique sea turtle:
- Their scientific name is Dermochelys coriacea, which refers to their leathery, scaleless shell that helps with swimming and camouflage.
- Leatherbacks can migrate up to 10,000 miles per year, the longest known distance of any reptile. Some even cross entire oceans following food.
- They can dive over 3,000 feet deep and stay submerged for nearly 90 minutes in search of prey.
- Leatherbacks can swim at sustained speeds over 20 mph helped by their gigantic front flippers that can span over 8 feet!
Hope for the Future
While leatherback sea turtles face immense challenges, they are also now protected by strong laws that ban harvesting and mandate safer fishing practices that allow them to escape nets. Scientists also monitor key nesting beaches and relocate vulnerable eggs to guarded hatcheries. If these conservation efforts continue, we still have hope of preserving leatherbacks for millions more years to come. These ancient mariners have shared our blue planet since the time of dinosaurs. We should do all we can to ensure future generations can still witness their grandeur too.