Leatherback sea turtles are the largest living turtles on Earth, with some individuals reaching lengths of over six feet and weighing up to 2,000 pounds. Unlike other sea turtles, leatherbacks have a unique leathery shell instead of a hard, bony carapace, which allows them greater flexibility and helps them dive to remarkable depths of over 4,000 feet. These ancient mariners are found in oceans worldwide, from tropical waters to surprisingly cold regions, making them the most widely distributed reptile on the planet. Leatherbacks are specialized feeders, primarily consuming jellyfish and other soft-bodied marine organisms, which they locate using their excellent sense of smell. Their long front flippers, which can span up to nine feet, propel them through the water with impressive speed and agility. Female leatherbacks undertake extraordinary migrations, traveling thousands of miles across ocean basins to return to the beaches where they were born to lay their own eggs. These remarkable creatures have existed for over 100 million years, surviving multiple extinction events and adapting to changing ocean conditions throughout their evolutionary history.
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PROTECTING AND SUSTAINING PLANET
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