Leatherback Sea Turtle Populations

Leatherback Sea Turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are the largest marine turtles in the world, easily reaching lengths over six feet long.

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They have a world-wide range, and they are know to forage outside the traditional tropical and subtropical range of other marine turtles. Their diet consist primarily of jellyfish and other soft bodied marine organisms.

The name leatherback aptly describes its most important physical characteristic. It is the only softshell sea turtle, and it is also considered warm blooded, with the ability to regulate its body temperature during forays into colder ocean water.

The IUCN listed Leatherbacks as critically endangered in 2000, noting significant population collapses in some of their most important Pacific nesting areas.

The most recent population research IOSEA Leatherback Turtle Assessment shows little population gain during the past decade. The Western Pacific region of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea may host the largest population of breeding females, with estimates at one thousand annually.

© 2007. Patricia A. Michaels