The scientific name for the leatherback turtle is Dermochelys coriacea and these “monster turtles” can get up to around 660 to 1,100 pounds. There average size is normally four to six feet long, but the biggest leatherback ever recorded reached almost 10 feet. It gets its common main from its thin black sheet of rubber on its back that is encrusted with bone to give it the leathery look.The leatherback is the only sea turtle with a soft shell, this turtle also had five different dorsal ridges running down the length of his back. Most of the turtle is covered with white or pale spots that make it easily identifiable if spotted.
The Leatherback lives in the open ocean but can be found on the tip of Africa and up near Alaska, This turtle is the only reptile known to be active in waters as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit. These turtles can nest every year but choose to only nest every two to three years, they lay eggs seven times for a duration of ten days and in the end a total of 80 eggs are laid. Leatherbacks can swim thousands of miles because of there body shape to find proper food and they tend to stay in the same region when they lay eggs but if they wanted to they could get pretty far. The leatherback feeds on jellyfish despite its size, but that is because of there delicate jaw. Jellyfish don’t have a lot of nutrition in them so too keep up with their energy needs the leatherbacks can eat about 1 per 22 seconds. The biggest risk for these turtles is the plastic bags floating around from the main land, it is very easy for a turtle to mistake a garbage bag for a jellyfish because of there instinct to attack clear white things that float.
If you would like to learn more visit: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/education/kids_times_turtle_leatherback.pdf
Life Of A Sea Turtle 