Leatherback Sea Turtle
About the Leatherback Sea Turtle
The deepest-diving reptile, reaching 1,280 meters. They have existed for 100 million years, surviving the extinction that killed the dinosaurs. They migrate up to 16,000 km per year. They are the largest turtle species, weighing up to 700 kg. They eat their body weight in jellyfish daily - about 440 kg. Plastic bags look like jellyfish underwater and kill thousands annually. They can regulate their body temperature, unusual for reptiles. They have backward-pointing throat spines that prevent prey from escaping. Females return to the exact beach where they hatched to lay eggs. Only 1 in 1,000 hatchlings survives to adulthood.
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