Leatherback Turtle

The Leatherback Turtle, also leathery turtle, common name for the largest of the marine turtles, Dermochelys coriacea, family Dermochelyidae, found in all warm seas and especially the warmer portions of the Atlantic Ocean. The turtle reaches a total length of about 2.4 m (about 8 ft) and a weight of 540 kg (1200 lb). The color is brown, spotted with yellow. Unlike all other living turtles, the leatherback has a skeleton that is not firmly attached to a solid shell; the covering of this animal is a loose, leathery hide, under which are many large and separate bony plates.The hide also bears several such plates embedded externally. The limbs are modified into paddles for swimming; the front limbs are quite long, especially in the young. The limbs and head are bare, not covered by horny plates. The male leatherback spends its adult lifetime in the sea; the female emerges only to lay eggs on beaches. Leatherbacks subsist on jellyfish, seaweed, and mollusks and are not edible.