Jump to content
IndiaDivine.org

FWD: Facts about leatherback turtles

Rate this topic


Guest guest

Recommended Posts

Guest guest

***************************Advertisement***************************

eCentral - Your Entertainment Guide

http://www.star-ecentral.com

 

 

*****************************************************************

This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling.

 

Comment from sender:

 

 

This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my)

URL:

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2003/7/1/features/hrfact & sec=fea\

tures

 

________________________

 

Tuesday, July 01, 2003

Facts about leatherback turtles

 

 

THE leatherback is the most unusual and distinctive of all sea turtles. It is so

unique that it is placed in its own family, Dermochelydae.

 

It is the only turtle without a hard, bony shell. It has a smooth, leathery

shell which is marked by seven longitudinal ridges. The shell consists of an

outer skin with a continuous layer of tiny mosaic bones embedded in a thick

layer of oily cartilaginous material.

 

The Dermochelys coriacea is also the largest of all sea turtles, being capable

of reaching 2m in length and weighing over half a ton. A dead male specimen

washed ashore in Wales in 1988 weighed 916kg and measured 2.9m from nose to

tail.

 

Nesting females have an average shell length of one and a half metres and weigh

300kg.

 

Although they spend most of their lives in the open sea and are fertilised

there, females come ashore to dig nests and deposit their eggs.

 

The leatherback is a very strong swimmer. Its pelagic nature shapes its feeding

habits, with jellyfish forming its main diet.

 

 

 

Distribution: The leatherback has a worldwide distribution, stretching from the

tropics to the sub-polar regions. It nests on tropical beaches. Little is known

about the distribution of hatchlings and juveniles.

 

 

 

Status: International statistics reveal that the number of nesting females has

fallen by more than 95% over the last 22 years, making the leatherback the most

endangered sea turtle. It is believed that there are only about 900 nesting

females left in Indonesia, 55 in Costa Rica, 45 in Mexico, and two in Malaysia.

 

Ranked as endangered on the World Conservation Union red list, the leatherback

is also listed under Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in

Endangered Species (CITES) which prohibits any form of trade in the species.

 

Threats: Leatherbacks have turned up as by-catch in long-line fishing and gill

nets used by fishermen to catch swordfish and tuna in the Pacific rim. Loss of

nesting habitats and egg-poaching are equally detrimental to the species.

& #8211; Compiled by Hilary Chiew<p>

 

________________________

Your one-stop information portal:

The Star Online

http://thestar.com.my

http://biz.thestar.com.my

http://classifieds.thestar.com.my

http://cards.thestar.com.my

http://search.thestar.com.my

http://star-motoring.com

http://star-space.com

http://star-jobs.com

http://star-ecentral.com

http://star-techcentral.com

 

1995-2003 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written

permission of Star Publications is prohibited.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...