Leatherback turtle, or the world’s largest turtle

The leatherback turtle(Dermochelys coriacea), king among turtles, is the largest representative of these reptiles on Earth. It reaches more than 2 meters in length and weighs more than 900 kg. This oceanic giant impresses not only with its impressive size, but also with its unusual anatomy and adaptability. In search of food, it travels thousands of kilometers, appearing in the waters of almost all continents (except Antarctica). His life is a story of extraordinary endurance and adaptation to harsh ocean conditions. What qualities allow it to travel long distances and survive in such diverse environments?

How is it different from other sea turtles?

The leatherback turtle is distinctly different from its marine relatives. It does not have the classic hard shell made of bone. Its body is covered by a thick, leathery layer in which fine bone plates are embedded. This combination gives it flexibility, yet solid protection. The upper part of the carapace, called the carapace, resembles a teardrop – such an arrangement makes it easily cut waves, even in strong currents. It has dark gray or black skin, sometimes decorated with white spots, which gives it a bit of a mysterious charm. Of particular note are the leatherback turtle’s front flippers – the longest among all sea turtles, reaching a span of up to 2.7 meters. These powerful wings act like paddles, enabling them to swim efficiently over huge distances.

The unusual structure goes hand in hand with exceptional physiological abilities. The leatherback turtle can regulate its body temperature, a rarity among reptiles normally dependent on their environment. This allows it to venture into colder areas of the oceans, such as the waters off Canada or Alaska, where other sea turtles would not be able to survive. This trait, reminiscent of the abilities of warm-blooded animals, allows it to explore a wide variety of environments and makes it one of the most versatile inhabitants of the seas.

Diet and migrations of the leatherback turtle

The leatherback turtle is a carnivore, and its favorite food is jellyfish. He is not picky – he can eat hundreds of kilograms of them a day. In his menu land common mantis chelops and larger parasitic jellyfish, such as jellyfish of the genus Cyanea. To cope with such slippery food, he has developed spiky appendages in his throat that grab jellyfish like hooks – there’s no chance for them to slip through. In this way he not only eats, but also helps maintain the biological balance in the waters he traverses. By devouring jellyfish, it keeps their populations in check, which, unchecked, could harm fish or plankton. It is such a silent guardian of the seas. Unfortunately, there is also the other side of the coin – turtles mistake plastic floating waste for jellyfish, leading to poisoning or suffocation.

As impressive as the diet of leatherback turtles is their migratory abilities. In this area they have no equal. These marine giants travel thousands of kilometers between foraging sites and nesting beaches. Some individuals travel from the tropical waters of Indonesia all the way to the chilly coasts of North America, making them some of the most persistent wanderers in the animal kingdom. Some go down in the record books – one of them, tagged with a transmitter by researchers, swam more than 12,000 kilometers in a year!

Turtles’ ability to navigate the boundless ocean, however, remains a mystery. Thanks to technologies such as satellite tracking, scientists are gradually uncovering the secrets of their routes – they suspect the turtles use the Earth’s magnetic field, sunlight and other subtle signals from the environment.

The leatherback turtle and its remarkable instincts

The life of the leatherback turtle is also a tale of return. Every few years, females return to the beaches where they themselves were born to lay their eggs. Their ability to find these places, despite traveling thousands of miles in the ocean, is another of nature’s greatest mysteries. Between 60 and 120 eggs are laid in a single nest, and during the breeding season the female prepares several such nests, carefully hiding them in the sand.

After about 2 months, the young hatch and immediately head for the sea, as if they instinctively know that this is their natural habitat. But the road to adulthood is a real obstacle course. There are seagulls and crabs lurking on the beach, and predatory fish like sharks and barracuda in the water. Then they still have to face sea currents that can push them far away from safe feeding grounds. Of the thousands of newly hatched turtles, only a few, sometimes as few as one, reach adulthood.

Threats – will it be possible to save the leatherback turtle?

Despite its remarkable adaptation to life in the ocean, the leatherback turtle is an endangered species. It was classified as vulnerable by the 2013 IUCN assessment. Key threats to it include bycatch in fishing nets, plastic pollution of waters and degradation of nesting beaches. But all is not lost. Various organizations, such as NOAA Fisheries, are fighting for its future. Volunteers patrol beaches during the nesting season, protecting nests from tourists and predators, and fishermen are getting special hooks to reduce the risk of turtles getting entangled in nets. On top of that, scientists are putting transmitters on their backs to track their movements and better understand where they need protection. It’s a tough battle, but thanks to these efforts there is still hope to reverse bad trends and save the species.