Leatherback Turtles

The leatherback turtle is a sea turtle so unique that it has its own family (scientific category). All other sea turtles belong to the Cheloniidae family. Leatherback turtles are the sole members of the Dermochelyidae family.

The leatherback turtle is distinguished from other turtles by the rubbery texture of its shell. All other sea turtles have bony plated shells. Leatherbacks are mostly black with scattered white markings.
The leatherback is the largest sea turtle in the world. The largest recorded leatherback weighed almost 1,000 kilograms, and was an astonishing 3 metres long. The average leatherback can grow up to 2 metres (6.5 feet) long, and weigh 636 kg (1,400 pounds).
Leatherback turtles have healthy appetites every day they eat twice their own body weight in food. The leatherback's main food is jellyfish. They are immune to the stinging cells (nematosysts) that jellyfish have. Many leatherbacks have been found with stomachs containing some of the deadliest jellyfish,...