Their scientific name is Dermochelys coriacea. The smallest are about the size of dinner plates, while the largest, the leatherbacks, can reach sizes similar to a golf cart. Leatherbacks have the widest distribution of all sea turtle species. Though the animal is rarely spotted in the Netherlands, it is common to the Atlantic Ocean and can also be found in the North Sea. The longest leatherback ever found was estimated to be 12 feet long and weigh 2,000 lbs. To his surprise, the skipper saw The large turtle swimming,” police said. “The skipper decided to turn the police boat around. They are considered Vulnerable around the world by the IUCN Red List and listed as Endangered in the US. Leatherback turtles have the most hydrodynamic body design of any sea turtle, with a large, teardrop-shapedbody. Leatherbacks hold lots of sea turtle records including the biggest turtle, deepest dive, biggest eater, and longest traveler. Leatherbacks can withstand cold due to their large size and dark shells (which absorbs sunlight). They survived the extinction of the dinosaurs and thrived until the last several decades when human interactions have taken a major toll. Leatherback turtles are the largest known species of sea turtle, according to the World Wildlife Foundation. The average is 4 – 8 feet long, and 500 – 1,000 lbs. The turtle had been drowned from entanglement in fishing gear. Leatherbacks differ from other turtle species in many ways but most obviously with their shell, which is a softer and more flexible without the scales typical of other turtles. Clutch size: 110. Until recently, leatherbacks were considered critically endangered, yet growing numbers in the Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans have given hope for their survival. The reptile was spotted swimming past a police boat, though at first officers were not quite sure what they had seen. Conservation status: Vulnerable (Population decreasing). Researchers recently tracked an adult female more than 12,000 miles (19,000 km) using satellite telemetry, from Indonesia to Oregon, one of the longest recorded migrations of any vertebrate animal. Pacific populations are still considered critically endangered, due primarily to entanglement in fishing gear. © 2012-2020 NLTimes.nl, All rights reserved. This particular turtle was estimated at a whopping 2.5 meters, police and animal experts said. He was also busy hunting this afternoon," Van der Hiele said. A police team training in the Oosterschelde waterway in Zeeland on Tuesday were surprised by an enormous leatherback turtle splashing in the water near Wemeldinge. Its carapace is large, elongated and flexible with 7 distinct ridges running the length of the animal. These incredible animals diverged millions of years ago from other sea turtles and have evolved different characteristics from more typical sea turtles like a Green Turtle or Olive Ridley. Adults can weigh between 500 and 2,000 lbs and measure from 4 – 8 feet long. Claws are absent from both pairs of flippers. Their eggs are also consumed in many parts of the world. Web Design Vancouver by Nirvana Canada. Composed of a layer of thin, tough, rubbery skin, strengthened by thousands of tiny bone plates, the carapace does not have scales, except in hatchlings. The oldest of all sea turtle species, it has been around for more than 150 million years! The Pacific population has declined by over 90% in the last two decades due primarily to entanglement in commercial fishing gear, particularly longlines and gillnets. Their smooth, leathery skin covers a flexible matrix of bone. You will receive the next issue of our newsletter. The leatherback's flippers are the largest in proportion to its body among extant sea turtles. We're a non-profit organization that protects sea turtles through conservation travel and volunteer tours, educational programs, and Billion Baby Turtles.
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