Dermochelys coriacea
Leatherback, Baula, Canal
Vandelli,
1761
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Dermochelys coriaceaLeatherback, Baula, Canal
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The leatherback is perhaps the most highly evolved and specialized of all the sea turtles. It is also by far the largest. Growing to 8 ft. in carapace length and weighing up to 2000 lbs, it is perhaps the largest living reptile. As its common name implies, leatherback sea turtles lack a hard shell. Instead, the deeply fluted and fusiform shell is covered with soft skin as are the flippers. In color the leatherback is dark gray to black with whitish or pinkish spots covering the shell and limbs. There is usually a large, often pinkish prominent spot on top of the head. The head is large, rounded and grades smoothly to the neck and shell. The front flippers are enormous and can measure up to 10 ft. from tip to tip.
Leatherbacks are widespread pelagic creatures distributed worldwide in all tropical seas. They are somewhat nomadic and may perhaps travel between oceans. They are quite cold water tolerant, as required to dive to such great depths, and have frequently been observed in temperate waters of the north Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
Leatherbacks have unique diets that consist wholly of jellyfish. They possess a unique jaw structure that is well adapted to cutting up soft-bodied prey. The upper jaw has two teeth-like modifications that overlap the lower jaw which has one central “tooth”. They are denizens of open deep water and are known to dive up to 4000 ft. in pursuit of their prey. It is unknown how leatherbacks are able to dive to such great depths or how they located their prey in complete darkness, but deep diving may be related to their flexible, leathery bodies.
Leatherback sea turtles nest every three to five years. Unlike some species, leatherbacks do not display great nest-site fidelity and may show up on different nesting beaches in subsequent seasons, or even during any single nesting season. Leatherback females prefer large, wide and high beaches with dark or light sand, and tend to begin nesting around midnight. Nests are nearly always placed high on the berm in the middle of the beach and away from seaside vegetation. Leatherbacks prepare a relatively shallow body pit, and can complete the laying process in as little as an hour. After laying 35-75 tennis ball-sized eggs, nesting females will bury the nest and toss sand with their front flippers. This creates a disturbance over the nest measuring to 12 x 30 ft. in extent which functions to disguise the location of the nest cavity. When nesting is complete, leatherbacks nearly always do an “orientation” loop as they crawl towards the sea. In Panama, leatherback nesting season extends from March to June, with peak activity in April and May. This species nests more frequently than any other on the Caribbean side of Panama. Chiriqui beach, located on the Caribbean east of the Valiente Peninsula, Bocas del Toro, is perhaps the most important leatherback rookery in Central America.
Leatherback sea turtles are perhaps the least threatened of all of the sea turtles. This relates to their widespread distribution, pelagic feeding environment and unpalatable meat which is very oily and acrid. Poaching does occur, however, in certain areas of the world. In Bocas del Toro province, nesting females are killed to remove the eggs they contain, both shelled and unshelled. The eggs are then eaten mixed with other food or sold in bars as aphrodisiacs. Several Panamanian organizations are involved with the conservation of nesting leatherbacks in Bocas del Toro, including ANAM, ITEC and Promar.
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written by Dr. P. Lahanas, Institute
for Tropical Ecology & Conservation Page last updated 14 May, 2003 Comments or Corrections: HerpsofPanama  ITEC-edu.org
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