LEATHERBACK TURTLE By: Allison Sanderson

Common name Scientific name

Common name: Leatherback Scientific name: Dermochelys coriacea

Habitat Usually live in the open ocean As far north as Alaska Far south as tip of Africa

History

Size: 4 to 6 ft in length Weight: 660 to 1,100 lbs

History cont.

They eat mostly jellyfish and soft bodied animals

Usually lay around 80 fertilized eggs Population: 34,000-36,000 nesting

females

History cont.

The turtles can be found world wide These turtles can swim farther and faster

than any of kind

Leatherback vs. Other turtles

Is it a solitary or pack animal?

Leatherback sea turtles are solitary animals

Reasons why Leatherback Turtles are Endangered

Beaches being polluted and destroyed takes away where the turtles can lay their eggs

Commercial fishermen catch them in their nets

In Malaysia the eggs are eaten for food In Asia Leatherback’s are hunted for their

oils and flesh Been on the endangered species list

since 1970

Present day world wide size

100,000 females Males are unknown

Conservation efforts

The use of Turtle Excluder Devices and protection of critical nesting habitats CITES trade

Work cited

http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=leatherback http://nmlc.org/2011/07/sea-turtles-part-3-leatherbacks-loggerheads-and-gre

ens/

http://www.seaturtleinc.org/education/about-sea-turtles/leatherback/ http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01700/turtle-sand_1700453i.jpg http://www.seagrantfish.lsu.edu/images/seaturtles.jpg http://www.bsu.edu/eft/belize/p/libt/i/types.jpg http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/newsroom/photos/300turtle.jpg http://wildwhales.org/leatherback-sea-turtle/ http://

www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/biodiversity-and-environmental-halls/hall-of-biodiversity/promos/for-educators/endangered-leatherback-sea-turtle

http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile?spcode=A02R

Quiz

1. How much does the Leatherback sea turtle weigh?

2. What was the largest recorded size of the Leatherback Sea turtle?

3. Where are the main nesting areas located?

4. What is the lowest temperature a Leatherback can be in?

5. What makes up the Leatherbacks “Shell”?

3 endangered species in VA

Delmarva Peninsula fox squirrel Red-Cockaded woodpecker North Atlantic right Whale