Leatherback Turtle

Dermochelys coriacea

Leatherback Turtle — photo 1 of 4
Photo 1 of 4 · Ghofar Ismail Putra (CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
rareVU · Vulnerableblackhugesolitaryopen water
Group
Turtle
Habitat
Open water
Max size
2.0 m
Family
Dermochelyidae

The leatherback sea turtle, sometimes called the lute turtle, leathery turtle or simply the luth, is a large species of sea turtle. The largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, it reaches lengths of up to 2.7 metres and weights of 500 kilograms (1,100 lb). It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys and family Dermochelyidae. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell; instead, its carapace is covered by oily flesh and flexible, leather-like skin, for which it is named. Leatherback turtles have a global range, although there are multiple distinct subpopulations. The species as a whole is considered vulnerable, and some of its subpopulations are critically endangered.

Adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Behaviour

The largest turtle alive and the only one with no hard shell -- its carapace is a leathery ridged skin. Feeds on jellyfish in open water and comes near shore only to nest.