Leatherback Sea Turtle [Dermochelys coriacea]
Description
The Leatherback Sea Turtle is the largest of all living turtles and is the fourth-heaviest modern reptile behind three crocodilians. It can reach a shell length of 200 cm (6.6 ft) and can weigh up to 916 kg (2,019 lb). This species has a cosmopolitan global range, with an adult leatherback having an average clutch size of approximately 110 eggs per nest. The Leatherback Sea Turtle feeds mainly on jellyfish and other soft-bodied invertebrates. Its carapace is covered by skin and oily flesh, and is marked by seven distinct ridges running the length of the animal. It lacks the bony shell seen in other turtles, which is replaced by a leathery, flexible carapace for which the creature is named.
Taxonomy
| Phylum |
Chordates
Chordata
|
|---|---|
| Class |
Reptiles
Reptilia
|
| Order |
Sea Turtles
Testudines
|
| Family |
Leatherback Sea Turtles
Dermochelyidae
|
| Genus |
Leatherback Sea Turtles
Dermochelys
|