Leatherback Sea Turtle
The largest living turtle dives deeper than most submarines and navigates by magnetic field across entire ocean basins
No photo available for Leatherback Sea Turtle
Population
Approximately 34,000–36,000 nesting females; Pacific population Critically Endangered
Location
All major oceans; nesting on tropical beaches globally
Overview
Leatherback sea turtles are the largest living turtles and the deepest-diving reptiles on Earth, reaching 900+ meters. Unlike other sea turtles, they have a flexible, leathery shell rather than a hard one. They eat almost exclusively jellyfish, traveling thousands of kilometers between nesting beaches and jellyfish-rich feeding grounds in cold northern and southern waters. Pacific leatherbacks are Critically Endangered after population collapses from bycatch.
Why they're at risk
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Bycatch in longline and gillnet fisheries across their entire range — Pacific populations collapsed by over 95% in 30 years.
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Plastic bag ingestion — leatherbacks mistake plastic bags for jellyfish. Plastic blocks digestion and causes death.
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Nesting beach loss from coastal development and rising seas.
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Egg collection for human consumption, historically widespread.
Reasons for hope
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Atlantic leatherback populations have stabilized or increased under nesting beach protection programs.
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Bycatch reduction devices in longline fisheries have significantly reduced sea turtle capture rates where implemented.
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Costa Rica's Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas and Trinidad's beaches have world-class leatherback monitoring and protection programs.
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Satellite tracking has revealed full migration routes from tropical nesting beaches to cold-water feeding grounds, enabling targeted protection of critical feeding areas.