The Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the largest of all living sea turtles and the fourth largest modern reptile behind three crocodilians. It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell. Instead, its carapace is covered by skin and oily flesh. Dermochelys coriacea is the only extant member of the family Dermochelyidae.
Habitat
Leatherback turtles can be found primarily in the open ocean. Scientists tracked a leatherback turtle that swam from Indonesia to the U.S. in an epic 20,000 kilometers (12,427 mi) foraging journey over a period of 647 days. The turtles prefer deep water but are most often seen within sight of land. Feeding grounds are in nearshore waters. Unusually for a reptile, leatherbacks can survive and actively swim in colder waters; individual turtles have been found in waters as cold as 4.5 °C (40.1 °F).
Its favored breeding beaches are mainland sites facing deep water and they seem to avoid those sites protected by coral reefs.
Feeding
Adult Dermochelys coriacea subsist almost entirely on jellyfish. Due to its obligate feeding nature, it has been hypothesized that leatherback turtles help control jellyfish populations. Leatherbacks also feed on other soft-bodied organisms such as tunicates and cephalopods.
Death and decomposition
Dead leatherbacks that wash ashore are micro-ecosystems on their own while decomposing. In 1996, a drowned carcass held sarcophagid and calliphorid flies after being picked open by a pair of Coragyps atratus vultures. Infestation by carrion-eating beetles of the Scarabaeidae, Carabidae, and Tenebrionidae families soon followed suit. After days of decomposition, beetles from the families Histeridae and Staphylinidae and anthomyiid flies invaded the corpse as well. Organisms from more than a dozen families took part in consuming the carcass.
A baby Leatherback-Turtle
The leatherback turtle has survived for more than a hundred million years, but is now facing extinction. Recent estimates of numbers show that this species is declining precipitously throughout its range.
