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From left to right: A female leatherback turtle leaves a beach in French Guiana after nesting; About 60 days later, hatchlings come out of the nest and head to the sea; Adult leatherback caught in a net. © From left to right: WWF-Canon / Ronald PETOCZ; WWF-Canon / Roger LeGUEN; WWF-Canon / Michel GUNTHER |
Why is this species important?
As a major jellyfish predator, the leatherback turtle provides natural ecological control of jellyfish populations. Overabundance of jellyfish may reduce fish populations as jellyfish can feed on fish larvae and reduce population growth of commercially important fish. Hence, the presence of leatherback turtles benefits fish, fisheries and people.
Interesting Facts
The biggest ever recorded leatherback turtle was a male stranded on a Welsh beach that reached 256 cm long and weighed 916 kg.
A leatherback was recorded to have descended to a maximum depth of 1,230 metres, which represents the deepest dive ever recorded for a reptile.
Although Atlantic populations are rather more stable, models predict that they, too, will decline due to the large numbers of adults being killed accidentally by fishing fleets. In the Atlantic, the fact that they are widely distributed during the migration process and that they do not dive very deep increase the risk of interaction of leatherback turtles with longline fisheries.
WWF is working to conserve leatherback turtles and their habitats in Central and South America, and the western Pacific through concerted pan-Pacific and trans-Atlantic approaches that aim to protect critical nesting beaches and migratory pathways. This is being achieved by: protecting nesting beaches and nearshore habitats by establishing and strengthening sanctuaries and wildlife refuges; raising awareness so that local communities will protect turtles and their nests; promoting regional agreements to conserve marine turtles; reducing longline bycatch through promoting and facilitating gear modification, using new migration and genetics information to develop and trial management measures and,ensuring that any traditional take is sustainable.
http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/finder/leatherbackturtle/leatherbackturtle.html
Leatherback Turtle
The largest marine turtle and one of the largest living reptiles, the leatherback turtle, (Dermochelys coriaceathe) has survived for more than a hundred million years, but is now facing extinction. Recent estimates of numbers show that this species is declining, particularly in the Pacific where as few as 2,300 adult females now remain, making the Pacific leatherback the world's most endangered marine turtle population. Atlantic turtle populations are more stable but scientists predict a decline due to the large numbers of adults being caught as bycatch and killed accidentally by fishing fleets. Additionally, rising sea levels and higher temperatures on Atlantic beaches pose a new threat to turtles and their offspring. Nest temperature strongly determines the sex of offspring, and a nest warming trend is reducing the number of male turtles. WWF aims to conserve leatherback turtle migratory pathways - by working with fisheries to decrease bycatch, by protecting critical nesting beaches, and by raising awareness so that local communities will protect turtles and their nests.
http://www.wwf.org.uk/wwf_articles.cfm?unewsid=3618
There is only as few as 2300 adult female Pacific turtles left in the world, this is putting huge pressure on the the whole population. The fact that these species have been around for millions of years and that they could go in our generation if not the next is shocking and i believe that its our responsibility to act now and make sure this does not happen. The threats to the turtles are over fishing and global warming, the temperature of the Turtles nests highly depends the sex of the new borns and the hight temperatures are causing a lack of adult male Turtles.
Leatherback Turtle
The largest marine turtle and one of the largest living reptiles, the leatherback turtle, (Dermochelys coriaceathe) has survived for more than a hundred million years, but is now facing extinction. Recent estimates of numbers show that this species is declining, particularly in the Pacific where as few as 2,300 adult females now remain, making the Pacific leatherback the world's most endangered marine turtle population. Atlantic turtle populations are more stable but scientists predict a decline due to the large numbers of adults being caught as bycatch and killed accidentally by fishing fleets. Additionally, rising sea levels and higher temperatures on Atlantic beaches pose a new threat to turtles and their offspring. Nest temperature strongly determines the sex of offspring, and a nest warming trend is reducing the number of male turtles. WWF aims to conserve leatherback turtle migratory pathways - by working with fisheries to decrease bycatch, by protecting critical nesting beaches, and by raising awareness so that local communities will protect turtles and their nests.
http://www.wwf.org.uk/wwf_articles.cfm?unewsid=3618
There is only as few as 2300 adult female Pacific turtles left in the world, this is putting huge pressure on the the whole population. The fact that these species have been around for millions of years and that they could go in our generation if not the next is shocking and i believe that its our responsibility to act now and make sure this does not happen. The threats to the turtles are over fishing and global warming, the temperature of the Turtles nests highly depends the sex of the new borns and the hight temperatures are causing a lack of adult male Turtles.
