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Other animals
Leatherback sea turtle
Leatherback sea turtle · Dermochelys coriacea
The leatherback sea turtle is the largest sea turtle and impresses with its leathery shell and its long ocean migrations.
Fact file
- Size
- Up to 2.5 metres long and weighing over 600 kilograms
- Males and females
- Females can be recognised by a short tail, males have a longer tail
- Sounds
- Leatherback sea turtles make hardly any sounds under water
- Diet
- Hunts jellyfish, occasionally other molluscs as well
- Offspring
- A clutch usually contains 50 to 100 eggs, from which the young hatch after around 2 months
How to identify Leatherback sea turtle
The leatherback sea turtle has a streamlined, leathery shell which, unlike other sea turtles, is not covered with scutes. The back is a dark blue to black with small white spots, while the underside is usually light. A distinctive feature is the longitudinally grooved carapace, recognisable by its seven ridges.
At lengths of up to 2.5 metres and a weight of over 600 kilograms, the leatherback sea turtle is the largest sea turtle. Its elongated head and powerful front flippers, which have no claws, are unmistakable. The narrow, wedge-shaped body helps it to swim quickly through the open ocean.
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Where Leatherback sea turtle live
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