Leatherback Sea Turtle Research Paper
Name: The common name of the organism I have chosen is known as the Leatherback sea turtle. It is also referred to as the leathery turtle, lute turtle, or the trunkback turtle. The scientific name for the Leatherback sea turtle is Dermochelys Coriacea. Dermochelys is the Greek word for skin and turtle. More specifically, skin is derived from the word dermos and turtle comes from chelys. Coriacea is from the Latin corium meaning leather. The Leatherback sea turtle got its name because it is insufficient of the typical hard boney plates on the top of a turtles’ shell.
Description: The Leatherback sea turtle is the largest of all living turtles. Leatherbacks are about 5-8 feet in length and 500-2000 pounds in weight. They are also known for their deepest dives among all sea turtles (Jones 1013). These turtles outlived the great extinction that killed the dinosaurs over 70 million years ago. The flexible, elongated shell is somewhat shaped like a barrel. It is fully covered by a rubbery skin that is tough. On the shell, you will find 7 recognizable longitudinal ridges (Pritchard 8). The ridges come together to create a sharp point at the back end of this reptiles’ shell. These ridges are recognizable because most sea turtles have …show more content…
hard flat shells.
This species of turtle has a unique jaw.
The upper jaw has 2 teeth like extensions with deep points (Pritchard 8). The eyelids of a Dermochelys Coriacea are designed to look like vertical slits when the eyes are closed. The eyes give the illusion of disappearing deep into their sockets when being closed. Leatherback sea turtles have a well-developed nuchal bone. This bone is very important because it is the root of numerous muscles in the neck and shoulders (Pritchard 8). With that being said, this species of turtle doesn’t have any pleural bones. The absence of these bones free the ribs from the boney and rigid connections, making them buried under the cartilage layer. The movement of the ribs is restricted because of this cartilage
layer.
The skull of this specific sea turtle is fully roofed over with very thick dermal bones (Pritchard 9). The upper surface of the shell contains a thick amount of randomly placed white spots. On the back of their neck and tail, you will find that the spots form linear continuations on the back ridges. You will come to find that the spots on the head are bigger than those on the back of the shell, uniting at the jaw (Pritchard 9). It is pretty common that you will find a pinkish hue on the skin of the sea turtle and never yellow.
Location: Leatherback sea turtles tend to prefer more of the warmer oceans, but they are not restricted to them. They are one of the most migratory species of sea turtles and can be known to be 3,000 miles away from their nesting sites. You can conclude from the above information that these sea turtles do not limit themselves to a specific distance to travel.
Feeding Habits & Habitat: Due to the sea turtle’s powerful front flippers and specific body shape and size, they can travel thousands of miles against fast currents with little to no difficulty. It is quite often that you will find these specific sea turtles in the open ocean, anywhere from Alaska to even the horn of Africa. They generally swim in the upper level of the water column (Luschi S132). The southern Indian Ocean displays extreme temperature gradients and extreme currents speeds. The surface circulation in this ocean is dictated by the Agulhas Current, an intense warm water current, with speeds up to about 5 miles per hour Africa (Luschi S129). This current flows southwest along the edge of the eastern seaboard of southern Africa (Luschi S129). Leatherback sea turtles are one of the few species of sea turtles who can live and function in 40-degree Fahrenheit water. The female sea turtles are dependent on beaches for their nesting.
The Leatherback sea turtles eat often and are dependent on eating their jellyfish to survive and continue their journeys. These turtles absolutely love their jellyfish, which is bazar because you would think such a large animal would eat other foods that don’t consist of mostly water. They are also found eating sea squirts and other soft bodied animals in the water. However, more often than not, you will find this species of sea turtle eating jellyfish.
Natural History: This organism is listed as endangered under the U.S. Federal Species Act and are internationally titled as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Satellite has recorded that these sea turtles like to eat offshore. Dermochelys Coriacea have a diet of hydromedusae, which is a food that is known to be 95% water and energy poor (Lutcavage 796).
The estimated average lifespan in the wild is about 45 years. These animals are carnivores, with a diet consisting mostly of jellyfish. It is not often that you will catch wind of Leatherback sea turtles traveling in large groups, but they do travel with a few other turtles at a time. These reptiles are not territorial. It is often common that you will see them overlap their habitat with others.
Leatherbacks have a unique set of adaptations that allow them to both generate and retain body heat (National Geographic). This helps them maintain a warm body when they swim and dive into chilling waters. (National Geographic). These adaptations are their large body size, changes in swimming activity and blood flow, and a thick layer of fat.
Out of all of the sea turtles, Leatherbacks undergo the longest migration between feeding and breeding. This has an average of about 3,700 miles each way. The females and the males mate at sea. During the breeding season, the females go ashore to nest. It can take anywhere from 60-75 days before the hatchlings hatch. Nesting takes place at night so it won’t be obvious to the predators what they are doing. The turtles dig a big hole in the sand where they deposit about 80 eggs (National Geographic). Once this act has been completed, the females fill the hole back up with sand. Now, their nesting spot looks like a big disturbed area of sand, which is hard for detection by the predators. Finally, the female sea turtles may return back to sea.
The sex of the hatchling is determined by the temperature within the nest. If the nest temperature is about 85.1 degrees Fahrenheit, it can be determined that the hatchlings are a mix of males and females (National Geographic). Higher temperatures produce females and lower temperatures produce males. Once hatched, the male Leatherback sea turtles will spend the rest of their life at sea. Or those females that actually make it to sea, they will return to the same nesting areas to produce their own offspring (National Geographic). Leatherback females migrate again at the same beaches they hatched at about 2-3 year intervals. Within a nesting season, it has been documented that females nest about 5-7 times.
Description: The Leatherback sea turtle is the largest of all living turtles. Leatherbacks are about 5-8 feet in length and 500-2000 pounds in weight. They are also known for their deepest dives among all sea turtles (Jones 1013). These turtles outlived the great extinction that killed the dinosaurs over 70 million years ago. The flexible, elongated shell is somewhat shaped like a barrel. It is fully covered by a rubbery skin that is tough. On the shell, you will find 7 recognizable longitudinal ridges (Pritchard 8). The ridges come together to create a sharp point at the back end of this reptiles’ shell. These ridges are recognizable because most sea turtles have …show more content…
hard flat shells.
This species of turtle has a unique jaw.
The upper jaw has 2 teeth like extensions with deep points (Pritchard 8). The eyelids of a Dermochelys Coriacea are designed to look like vertical slits when the eyes are closed. The eyes give the illusion of disappearing deep into their sockets when being closed. Leatherback sea turtles have a well-developed nuchal bone. This bone is very important because it is the root of numerous muscles in the neck and shoulders (Pritchard 8). With that being said, this species of turtle doesn’t have any pleural bones. The absence of these bones free the ribs from the boney and rigid connections, making them buried under the cartilage layer. The movement of the ribs is restricted because of this cartilage
layer.
The skull of this specific sea turtle is fully roofed over with very thick dermal bones (Pritchard 9). The upper surface of the shell contains a thick amount of randomly placed white spots. On the back of their neck and tail, you will find that the spots form linear continuations on the back ridges. You will come to find that the spots on the head are bigger than those on the back of the shell, uniting at the jaw (Pritchard 9). It is pretty common that you will find a pinkish hue on the skin of the sea turtle and never yellow.
Location: Leatherback sea turtles tend to prefer more of the warmer oceans, but they are not restricted to them. They are one of the most migratory species of sea turtles and can be known to be 3,000 miles away from their nesting sites. You can conclude from the above information that these sea turtles do not limit themselves to a specific distance to travel.
Feeding Habits & Habitat: Due to the sea turtle’s powerful front flippers and specific body shape and size, they can travel thousands of miles against fast currents with little to no difficulty. It is quite often that you will find these specific sea turtles in the open ocean, anywhere from Alaska to even the horn of Africa. They generally swim in the upper level of the water column (Luschi S132). The southern Indian Ocean displays extreme temperature gradients and extreme currents speeds. The surface circulation in this ocean is dictated by the Agulhas Current, an intense warm water current, with speeds up to about 5 miles per hour Africa (Luschi S129). This current flows southwest along the edge of the eastern seaboard of southern Africa (Luschi S129). Leatherback sea turtles are one of the few species of sea turtles who can live and function in 40-degree Fahrenheit water. The female sea turtles are dependent on beaches for their nesting.
The Leatherback sea turtles eat often and are dependent on eating their jellyfish to survive and continue their journeys. These turtles absolutely love their jellyfish, which is bazar because you would think such a large animal would eat other foods that don’t consist of mostly water. They are also found eating sea squirts and other soft bodied animals in the water. However, more often than not, you will find this species of sea turtle eating jellyfish.
Natural History: This organism is listed as endangered under the U.S. Federal Species Act and are internationally titled as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Satellite has recorded that these sea turtles like to eat offshore. Dermochelys Coriacea have a diet of hydromedusae, which is a food that is known to be 95% water and energy poor (Lutcavage 796).
The estimated average lifespan in the wild is about 45 years. These animals are carnivores, with a diet consisting mostly of jellyfish. It is not often that you will catch wind of Leatherback sea turtles traveling in large groups, but they do travel with a few other turtles at a time. These reptiles are not territorial. It is often common that you will see them overlap their habitat with others.
Leatherbacks have a unique set of adaptations that allow them to both generate and retain body heat (National Geographic). This helps them maintain a warm body when they swim and dive into chilling waters. (National Geographic). These adaptations are their large body size, changes in swimming activity and blood flow, and a thick layer of fat.
Out of all of the sea turtles, Leatherbacks undergo the longest migration between feeding and breeding. This has an average of about 3,700 miles each way. The females and the males mate at sea. During the breeding season, the females go ashore to nest. It can take anywhere from 60-75 days before the hatchlings hatch. Nesting takes place at night so it won’t be obvious to the predators what they are doing. The turtles dig a big hole in the sand where they deposit about 80 eggs (National Geographic). Once this act has been completed, the females fill the hole back up with sand. Now, their nesting spot looks like a big disturbed area of sand, which is hard for detection by the predators. Finally, the female sea turtles may return back to sea.
The sex of the hatchling is determined by the temperature within the nest. If the nest temperature is about 85.1 degrees Fahrenheit, it can be determined that the hatchlings are a mix of males and females (National Geographic). Higher temperatures produce females and lower temperatures produce males. Once hatched, the male Leatherback sea turtles will spend the rest of their life at sea. Or those females that actually make it to sea, they will return to the same nesting areas to produce their own offspring (National Geographic). Leatherback females migrate again at the same beaches they hatched at about 2-3 year intervals. Within a nesting season, it has been documented that females nest about 5-7 times.