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Leatherback Sea Turtle. Adria Tuck Lettisha Nieves Robyn Hyder Marine Biology per. 5 1-15-99 Group Project. The Leatherback Sea Turtle. Where the Leatherback Lives. The most common place to find the Leatherback is in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
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Leatherback Sea Turtle Adria Tuck Lettisha Nieves Robyn Hyder Marine Biology per. 5 1-15-99 Group Project
Where the Leatherback Lives • The most common place to find the Leatherback is in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. • At birth they are born on land, but will spend most of their life in the water. • The Leatherback can also be found in the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
How the Leatherback Lives • The Leatherback is carnivorous. • The Leatherback usually stays in one area most of the day, unless on the prowl for food. • A short while after the Leatherback is born, they follow the moonlight towards the water. • The males live almost their entire life in the water, but the females go to shore to lay their eggs.
What the Leatherback Eats • The Leatherback eats jellyfish, crustaceans, and cuttlefishes. • The Leatherback’s main diet is jellyfish, and this is unfortunately why so many die. • The Leatherback often mistakes discarded plastic items, such as monofilament and Styrofoam for prey. When they swallow the debris they suffocate. • It eats twice its body weight daily.
The Leatherback’s Size • The Leatherback is the largest turtle known. • When the Leatherback is full grown, it usually reaches 6 feet, and weighs no less than 1420 lbs. • When the Leatherback is first born they are about the size of a fist.
The Leatherback’s Length of Life • The Leatherback can live for about 100 years and sometimes longer. • When the Leatherback is born, about half of them die because of their lack of ability of finding the water. • Seagulls also swoop down and pick up helpless baby turtles who haven’t made it to the water by daylight.
How the Leatherback Reproduces • The Leatherback female comes to shore to make a hole and lay her eggs. After she is finished laying her eggs, she buries them and heads off into the water again. • The Leatherback reproduces sexually. When she finds her mate, he fertilizes her eggs then she makes her way to the shore.
Are the Leatherback’s Endangered? • Yes, the Leatherback sea turtle is currently listed as endangered. • Having never been a numerous species to begin with, this sea turtle is especially vulnerable to threats. • One large threat to Leatherback’s are the shrimp-trawling fleets of the Caribbean and the Pacific. • Another threat is pollution in the water.
Bibliography • Encyclopedia Americana Vol.17 pg. 167 Leatherback,Leathery Trunkback Turtle. • Http://otn.uoregon.edu/holmans/LeatherBack/turtlefrntpge • Alderton, David. Turtles & Tortoises of the World. Pgs. 24, 32, 36, 45, 47, 74, 89, 94, and 121-122.
The End Thank you to Mrs. Chapman for her wonderful work and for teaching us about the different marine animals there are.