Sea Turtles: The Lifestyles Of Sea Turtles

Sea turtles are agile aquatic reptiles, suitable to living in their marine habitat. With aerodynamic bodies and paddle-like limbs, they are exquisite swimmers able to maneuver through the oceans. When they are mobile, sea turtles must swim to the surface of the ocean to breathe every few minutes. When they are inactive, they can endure underwater for lengthier periods of time. Leatherbacks are named for their rigid, oil-sodden, flexible skin, which is sustained by a structure of small bones under the skin. This gives the turtle a leathery pretense and touch. Leatherbacks are the only sea turtle species that do not have scales or a hard exoskeleton shell. Of all sea turtles, leatherbacks are the biggest. Mature leatherback turtles are 4-9 feet long and weigh 600-1,500 lbs. On top they are mostly black and on the head, neck, and carapace there are pink and white spots. Leatherbacks have two tooth-like horns on both sides of their upper jaw. The hatchlings are 2-3 inches in length with four flippers as long as their bodies and exceptional white striping along the creases of their backs. There are seven creases along the shell of a leatherback as it diminishes to a spot at the rear. Leatherbacks travel easily through the water with the help of their fore flippers and the streamlined shape of their bodies. Since leatherbacks are such powerful swimmers, they are able to make distant migrations across the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific oceans from their feeding grounds to their nesting beaches. Leatherback turtles are often found much farther north than other sea turtle species. Since they are cold-blooded reptiles, a leatherback turtle’s internal temperature should be the same as the temperature of the water they are in, but these turtles...

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...A). Since then, leatherback population is still decreasing, and their population is in a very critical states. The Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) also prohibits selling or trading any product of the turtle on the international market. Also, in certain place trawlers (fishing or shrimp boats) are now required by law to have larger Turtle Excluder Devices (TED’s) that lets larger turtles like leatherbacks to get away from the nets when they are caught. To better comprehend how we can conserve these magnificent leatherback turtles, researchers are using tags triggered by satellites to track turtles. These tags will help us learn more about their behavior and movements. Countries around the world are beginning to work cooperatively to address global threats to leatherbacks and to better protect leatherbacks throughout the world’s oceans.