Leatherback turtle Dermatelys coriacea
The leatherback turtle has a huge teardrop-shaped body, the most hydrodynamic of all turtles, its back is separated by seven different longitudinal keels, the carapace is covered with oily and flexible leather-like skin, and the entire dorsal surface of the turtle is dark gray to black, interspersed with white spots and spots, which is caused by their lack of β keratin in their scales, which is also unique among reptiles.
The leatherback turtle is the only extant species in the seven genera of the turtle family, the largest and heaviest reptile besides crocodiles, and the largest turtle species in the world. Due to the different areas in which different populations live (Atlantic, Pacific, South China Sea, Indian Ocean), the extreme data of individuals can vary greatly, with adults reaching an average length of more than 2 meters and a weight of more than 600 kg.
Leatherback turtles are among the deepest marine animals to dive. The diving depth is up to 1280 meters, and the general diving time is between 3 and 8 minutes, and the longest is 30-70 minutes. Its daily rest time is estimated to account for only 0.1%. It relies on the muscle heat generated by continuous, high-frequency swimming to maintain the temperature difference with the ocean, and the core body temperature of adult leatherback turtles has been found to be 18 degrees Celsius higher than the water surface temperature they swim in.
Once in the sea, the male never leaves the sea, and the female needs to return to the land to build a nest, laying eggs 3-10 times in a breeding season, laying 60-90 eggs at a time, but its eggs are often eaten by humans or other animals, resulting in a low proportion of successful hatching. At the same time, the human-induced coastal environmental changes caused by construction, dredging, beach transformation, etc., will also lead to a reduction in the area where turtles can nest
When the baby leatherback turtle is born, it is only 7.6 cm long, and many wild animals on the shore prey on them before they try to reach the ocean, including ghost crabs, monitor lizards, raccoons, dogs, coyotes, mongooses, water birds and some giant birds of prey. Another factor that affects population size is human lighting, and hatched baby turtles are affected by light to confuse their direction, causing them to often head inland rather than out to sea.
Leatherback turtles are vulnerable to other animals in their infancy, both on land and in the sea, and the tortoiseshell of the leatherback turtle is not pure bone, it is all softened into colloidal, and the hardness is not as good as that of ordinary turtles, so that carnivorous marine animals such as tiger sharks, great white sharks, and killer whales will feed on it. The estimated adult age of leatherback turtles in the wild is between 26 and 32 years, and in artificial captivity environments that control temperature and nutrition, adulthood can be shortened to 7-16 years. Once they reach adulthood, their natural enemies are few and far between, and they are estimated to live longer than 100 years.
It can eat the equivalent of 73% of its own body weight in a day, and its favorite food is jellyfish, which can effectively control the population of jellyfish.
But it can't tell the difference between jellyfish and plastic bags, and often mistakes plastic bags floating in the sea and similar things for food, causing malabsorption and intestinal obstruction leading to death.
On June 21, 2013, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) assessed the leatherback sea turtle as a vulnerable species on the Red List of Endangered Species Vulnerable (VU), which is also a nationally protected animal in China.
Click the Watch Video link
Biopedia - Leatherback Turtle
Rescue leatherback turtles
This is a slow-paced creation account that only does content related to animals and ecology.
As far as possible, the article will be told in an easy-to-understand way, so that everyone can learn more about biology without leaving home.
At the same time, it also pays attention to how the creatures on the earth survive under the factors of human intervention, destruction of the environment, commercial transactions, excessive consumption and other factors.
Maintaining biodiversity and protecting the environment is a long way to go!
If you like it and want you to give me the motivation to create!