1. Sea Turtles: Leatherback

2. Sea Turtles Seven types of sea turtles:
Loggerhead, Kemp’s Ridley, Olive Ridley
Green, Hawksbill, Flatback
Six of these species are on the redlist as either threatened or endangered
Leatherback is the most critically endangered

3. Biology of the Leatherback
Largest living turtle
Averages seven feet
Average weight is 1,300 pounds
Can grow to 8.5 feet and 2,000 pounds

4. Ability to retain its body heat while swimming through deep waters
Dives to depths of up to 3,000 feet during the night but active day and night
Travel at a speed of 22 miles per hour
Leatherbacks are the fastest, can dive deeper, and are bigger than any other turtle

5. Habitat Tropical Water Prefers deep water Shallow water on occasion
Beaches for nesting

6. Global Range
Tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and the Indian Ocean
Extend as far from Newfoundland, British Isles through the Cape of Good Hope entering the Mediterranean Sea

7. Life Span and Behavior
Leatherbacks can live as old as 30 years and up to 50 years or more
Little is known about their behavior
Sleep while floating on surface of the water
Violent if captured
Extremely vocal when in distress

8. Diets of the Leatherback
Jellyfish, crabs, shrimp, and mollusks
Snails, algae, sponges, and seaweed
Adults feed independently unless feeding on a large number of jellyfish

9. Reproduction Lays eggs on a beach Nesting seasons (8-12 days)
Nesting takes place when female simply chooses an undisturbed area

10. Large clutch size: 50-170 eggs
Incubation period is days
Hatchlings are 2-3 inches in length and weigh approximately less than 1 pound

12. Threats to Sea Turtles Predators-sharks, raccoons, crabs, and humans
Nesting areas disturbed- human activity and development
Commercial fishing-entanglement
-55 thousand sea turtles killed
-increasing cause of mortality worldwide

13. Pollution-balloons, bottles, garbage/
plastic bags
-Cannot distinguish between a plastic bag and a jelly fish (main component of diet)
-Oil spills and fertilizers (disease now killing turtles is linked to pollution in oceans)
Artificial lighting- lights from developments discourage females from nesting and hatchlings become disoriented, wandering inland dying of predation and hydration

14. Easy prey
-poachers hunt for eggs, used in medicines, jewelry, food, and oil

15. Conservation Environmental organizations created to eliminate poachers
Restriction of people at nesting areas
Restrictions on lights near beaches

16. “Turtle Safe Lighting” (coated and compact florescent lamp under 13 watts)
Turtle Excluder Devices (TED’s) –grid of bars with opening at top or bottom

18. Web Quest
Leatherback turtles webquest