What You Didn't Know About the World's Biggest Turtle

The Leatherback – a cool name for a cool turtle, and the world’s biggest! Today we learn more about this mighty creature that’s been swimming in our oceans for millions of years, having evolved from the first sea turtle 110-million years ago!

11 - Is it a boy or a girl?
Well that will depend on how hot or cold their environment is when they were inside their eggs! Warmer temperatures tend to yield more female hatchlings, and the opposite for the male hatchlings. Only 85% of eggs will hatch, as sometimes there is no yolk inside to develop into an embryo.

10 - For the record…
The first ever documented leatherback turtle was back in 1761, when Domenico Agostino Vandelli officially named it Testudo coriacea. It was found near Ostia, Rome and donated to the University of Padua for research.

9 - A real loner…
Leatherback turtles are quite comfortable being alone, and tend to spend much of their time by themselves. They do tend conglomerate where there’s lots of food to eat, and that’s about it in terms of socializing.

8 - Breath in, breath out…
Leatherback turtles are born on land as we already know, which means they are air-breathing animals, however, like all turtles, the leatherback spends most of its life in the ocean. The females only head to land to lay their eggs, and the males remain just off shore.

7 - Age old question…
So, how long do they live for? They can live for as many as 80-years, but average anything between 30 and 40-years.

6 – Giving back…
Leatherbacks that have washed up on shore and are decomposing, become microecosystems. A study was done on a carcass that had washed ashore, and it had been picked open by vultures. Then there was an infestation by carrion-eating beetles. Several other beetle families also invaded the corpse along with several types of flies. More than a dozen organisms consumed the carcass.

5 - How endangered are they?
Very. There are various levels of endangerment for animals, and the Leatherback is listed as a “Species at Risk”. Self-explanatory not so? In 1980 it was estimated there were 120 000 nesting females around the globe, and now it is believed the number has been reduced to 35 000. Not good news.

4 - Who are they afraid of?
Well, sharks for one. Big sharks of course, and Tiger sharks in particular are fond of a bit of turtle now and then. Killer whales are one of the other few marine predators who are capable of hunting an adult Leatherback. More danger lies on the ground the ground though. The vast majority of hatchlings don’t make it to maturity, and in fact a small percentage even reach the water after hatching from the sand nest. Crabs, birds, raccoons, wild cats, dogs, and even people enjoy turtle eggs.

3 - And they’re famous!
There are quite a few famous fictional turtles from movies, stories, books and so on. In “Wonder pets” there is a kind and sensitive turtle called “Tuck” who is four years old. He is one of the favorite characters according to the kids who follow the series.Then there’s Verne, a tortoise from the animated hit, “Over the Hedge”. He is the voice of reason and leader of a group of animals whose environment is threatened by urban development.
We also have Crush the Turtle from “Finding Nemo”, and his dad who is over 120 years old. They help Nemo to find his way home. kids have enjoyed “Sammy: A Turtle’s Tale” - Sammy is a sea turtle who adapts according the consequences of climate change and global warming. And I haven’t forgotten the Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles!

2 - The real deal...
Have you looked inside a Leatherback’s mouth before? Of course not, that would be weird! It doesn’t have teeth, but row upon row of spiky inward pointing protrusions as part of its beak on the inside. Spines if you will. Keep your hands clear, as what goes in, does not come out. Many people did not believe that these spikes were real, so, Snopes had to investigate and they confirmed that all was legit. The esophagus is also lined with sharp prongs, helping to get that jellyfish down to their stomachs!
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