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| Fact File |
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- Leatherback turtles do not breed
in the UK but do visit British waters and are
considered native.
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The skin is usually dark brown, dark grey or black
and they may have white spots or markings.
- Leatherbakcs have no obvious
shell, hence the name,
instead bony plates are set along
ridges down the back.
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They're listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN
Red List and are protected under Appendix 1 of CITES
(the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species).
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Photos (c) Matthew Oldfield (top right); Francesca
Barker (bottom right); (c) Paul Mannix (right) |
Leatherback turtles are considered native to British seas as, of
the five species of marine turtle that visit our waters, it is
the most commonly recorded. They do not breed in the UK as its
too cold but may visit our seas to hunt; climate change has
brought more sightings of these turtles around the UK.
Leatherback turtles are the largest of all marine turtles.
Mating takes place in the water and nesting occurs between
February and August depending on location. The female turtle
selects a tropical beach, not necessarily the same one each
year, and crawls up the shore on a moonless night to avoid
predators. She digs a nest with her flippers and lays up to 100
eggs.
Leatherback turtles will nest several times in a breeding
season. The eggs incubate for 50 to 75 days after which the
hatchlings emerge from the sand and head towards the water.
Despite this short journey, many are lost to predators.
Once in the water the turtles are rarely seen before maturity
(age 6-10yrs) and males never leave the water once they enter.
They are strong, and fast, swimmers and undertake long journeys
(some are known to cross the Atlantic). Leatherbacks are the
deepest-diving turtle and can reach depths of over a kilometre
in search of food. They primarily feed on jellyfish which they
hunt out in the open ocean rather than close to shore as other
turtles do. It's not known how long leatherback turtles live,
adults have no natural predators but are susceptible to
swallowing plastic bags (which they mistake for jelly fish),
being caught in fishing nets and collisions with boats.
Fishing, erosion of nesting beaches and pollution/litter.
Marine Conservation Society: UK Turtle Code (PDF)Non-native
turtles and terrapins.
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