One of the 41 turtles and tortoises on WAnimals
Reptiles · Testudines · Dermochelyidae
Leatherback Sea Turtle
Dermochelys coriacea
It faces a high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term. See full glossary
It is the largest sea turtle in the world and has existed in its present form for over 100 million years. Unlike every other sea turtle it has no hard bony shell, but a covering of fatty tissue reinforced with osteoderms.
Weight
250 kg – 900 kg
Size
1.2 m – 2.4 m
Lifespan
40 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Irregular activity
Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Moderate
Fun facts
- anatomíaIt is the largest living reptile and can dive to over 1,000 metres thanks to a flexible rather than rigid shell.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - skeleton with an unfused cartilaginous and bony shell (marine reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Oceans worldwide, from the tropics to subarctic waters; the only sea turtle able to tolerate cold seas
- Birth weight
- Exact weight not found as a precise figure
- Size at birth
- Precocial, heading straight for the sea on hatching, though only 6% survive their first year
- Sexual maturity
- 9-20 years by most estimates (some sources give a wider range of 6-30 years)
- Gestation / incubation
- 55-78 days
- Litter / clutch size
- 60 to 100 eggs per clutch (several clutches per season, every 2-5 years)
Sources consulted: The Canadian Encyclopedia; Britannica; Upwell; IFAW; NOAA Fisheries; FWC; Texas Parks & Wildlife; Government of Canada
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 16 de 24 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Leatherback Sea Turtle — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
VulnerableGreat White Shark
Carcharodon carcharias
West Indian Manatee
Trichechus manatus
VulnerableSperm Whale
Physeter macrocephalus
VulnerableOlive Ridley
Lepidochelys olivacea
VulnerableGrayfish
Alopias vulpinus
Blacktip Reef Shark
Carcharhinus melanopterus
How to help
The leatherback sea turtle is classified as vulnerable. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 10 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about leatherback sea turtle.
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