The leatherback turtle is the largest turtle species in the world. It is also a highly endangered species, with a population of only 3,000 individuals in the wild. The leatherback turtle has been around for over 100 million years. They are very long-lived and are known to have survived some of the worst natural disasters.
However, in recent years, their population has decreased significantly due to human activity, including hunting and pollution. It is able to swim at 18 km/h, which is approximately four times the speed of a human. The leatherback turtle has much slower heart rates than other types of sea turtles. This gives it more time to feed on its favorite foods, jellyfish and zooplankton. One interesting fact about this species is that they have a muscle pad on their neck, which helps them turn their heads 180 degrees while swimming in search of food.
This particular species has been endangered due to commercial fishing by humans and environmental changes such as warming waters, acidification, pollution, and loss of habitat. Leatherback turtles are the largest known species of marine turtle, reaching lengths of more than 3.3 meters and weights of up to 400 kilograms.
Although the Leatherback Turtle is the most widespread turtle in the world, not enough is known about them. There are not many places that have been found with leatherback turtles, so they can be easily studied or observed in their natural habitat.
Related Reading: Eastern Box Turtle (box turtles)
Leatherbacks live in tropical and subtropical waters, which include both saltwater and freshwater bodies. When they swim over land or into shallow water, they bury themselves in the sand on beaches to escape predators like sharks or crocodiles. Leatherback turtles have unique features such as long spines along with their carapaces that create panels on their back.
Leatherback The turtle’s name comes from their leather-like skin. This turtle has been one of our planet’s longest-living creatures and can live anywhere in water. Not only does this species live for a long time but they are also very strong creatures and are able to grow back their limbs or even their shell if damaged by predators or even from just being caught on fishing lines in the water Leatherback turtles provide food for many other animals, with their diet mainly consisting of jellyfish, plankton, and algae.
Leatherback Turtle Causes of Extinction
Leatherback turtles are one of the most endangered animals in the world. The main cause of their extinction is believed to be hunting pressure from humans. The most familiar thing about these turtles is their hard shell, or carapace. Leatherback turtle shell is one of the oldest known fossilized turtle shells found on Earth, and it has been dated back to 125 million years ago.
The primary cause of extinction for nearly all species of marine turtles is egg poaching. Leatherbacks have a very low reproductive rate, and females lay only one to six eggs a year. They are not hunted by humans because they have no commercial value, so they are left to flourish in the wild without any threats.
The most common cause of extinction for leatherback turtles is egg poaching, as they have less than a one percent chance of survival after hatching. The other main cause of their extinction is fishing, hunting, and ocean pollution. Neglecting to take care of these creatures in the past has led to their current vulnerability. Today, conservation efforts are underway to help protect the species from further depletion.
Leatherback turtles breathe air, but they are also capable of breathing seawater. This allows them to spend part of the day out at sea and return to the beach once in a while. The most fascinating thing about this species is that they can live for more than 50 years and don’t show any signs of aging. All marine turtles breathe through their cloaca, but leatherbacks have an extra opening that leads to their lungs.
The hole allows them to take in oxygen without having to swim around with their mouth open and pull water into it as they would with a nasal passage, which can make it difficult to breathe underwater and is considered one of the main reasons they need air above the surface. The leatherback turtle is one of the most amazing animals on Earth because of its life cycle and ability to live long periods of time on land before migrating back into the ocean.
