{"id":2552,"date":"2007-07-31T13:54:00","date_gmt":"2007-07-31T14:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whalewatchingazores.com\/blog\/2007\/07\/30\/dermochelys-coriacea-leatherback-turtle\/"},"modified":"2020-02-12T12:02:09","modified_gmt":"2020-02-12T13:02:09","slug":"dermochelys-coriacea-leatherback-turtle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whalewatchingazores.com\/blog\/dermochelys-coriacea-leatherback-turtle\/","title":{"rendered":"Leatherback turtle fact sheet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dermochelys<\/em> coriacea\u00a0<\/em>|\u00a0Leatherback turtle\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This is the biggest turtle species in the world. Leatherback turtles can dive as deep as 1000 m.\u00a0They are distributed all over the world in tropical, subtropical and temperate oceans, but can also be found in cooler waters (down to 0.4\u00b0C). They have a very good thermo-regulation system and can maintain temperatures of\u00a0 up to 20\u00b0C greather than their surroundings. the ocean currents. Leatherback turtles make the longest migrations of all marine vertebrates. They travel from tropical and subtropical waters to feeding grounds in temperate and cold waters of both hemispheres. Young individuals live in pelagic warm water until reaching a size of 100 – 140 cm. The females of the Atlantic enter the beaches on the northern coast of South America (Surinam and Frensh Guyana) to lay their eggs in 1 m deep holes.\u00a0Individuals seen in the Azores are normally on a journey between the Carribean and the Iberian\u00a0Peninsula or the Bay of Biscay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Length:\u00a0<\/strong>
\u2022\u00a0Total:\u00a0\u00a0Up to 300 cm
\u2022\u00a0Carapace: 257 cm<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weight:\u00a0<\/strong>Up to 900 kg<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Global population:<\/strong>c.26,000 –\u00a0\u00a042,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Status:\u00a0<\/strong>Critically endangered<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diet:<\/strong>The leatherback turtle is omnivorous and feeds mainly on medusas such as jellyfish and cephalopods (squid and octopus)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longevity:\u00a0<\/strong>305 years<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breeding age:\u00a0<\/strong>c.130 – 180 cm<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Number of eggs: <\/strong>c.50-150<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incubation: <\/strong>2 months<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other languages<\/strong>
Portuguese: Tartaruga de couro
Spanish: Tortuga la\u00fad
French: Tortue luth
Italian: Tartaruga liuto
German: Lederschildkr\u00f6te
Dutch: Lederschildpad
Swedish: Havsl\u00e4dersk\u00f6ldpadda
Norwegian:\u00a0Havl\u00e6rskilpadden
Danish:\u00a0L\u00e6derskildpadde
Finnish: Merinahkakilpikonna
Polish: \u017b\u00f3\u0142w sk\u00f3rzasty<\/p>\n\n\n\n