The Leatherback Sea Turtle is a state and federally recognized endangered species, with a nesting female population of perhaps only 7752 as of 2010 (Wallace). They can be found in both tropical and temperate waters around the world.
Leatherback Sea Turtle's are long lived, beginning their life when they hatch from their eggs and crawl to the ocean. If they make it to adulthood, they can weigh between 500 and 200 pounds and be 4 to 8 feet in length. Their name is very fitting, because they are the only turtle lacking a hard shell. They instead have a lattice of bones covered by leathery skin. They gain the majority of their calories from jellyfish (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife).
This species is especially vulnerable to humans encroaching on their nesting habitat and stealing their eggs. In the ocean, pollution from plastic mistaken as jellyfish and eaten can kill a turtle, and fishing nets can accidentally capture turtles, killing them. Climate change is also a threat to egg hatching and the young's survival rates (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife).
To help protect Leatherback populations, the fishing industry has instituted devices that exclude turtles from their catch, and waters off of Washington have been designated as turtle habitat (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife).
I chose the Leatherback Sea Turtle because I was surprised that they actually have populations in Washington. I have seen nature documentaries of the adorable baby turtles crawling to the ocean only to have 90% of them die before adulthood, but I never imagined that that happened here. To me they seemed too tropical of a species to nest here.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. "Leatherback Sea Turtle." wa.gov. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2016.
Wallace, B.P., Tiwari, M. & Girondot, M. 2013. Dermochelys coriacea. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T6494A43526147. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T6494A43526147.en. Downloaded on 07 October 2016.
Hey Carly, this is an intriguing animal to study! One aspect about their lives that always fascinated me is how they have such a long lifespan and curious to know if the WDFW listed how many years approximately. I find it hard to imagine that it's in someway okay to go and steal the eggs of an endangered species, I really don't know where people get this kind of mindset. Also goes to show the ramifications of not respecting our oceans and the balance there within.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I go to HAWAII, I see less and less large turtles. 5 years ago I could swim with colonies. Now I'm lucky to find a lone turtle
ReplyDeleteEvery time I go to HAWAII, I see less and less large turtles. 5 years ago I could swim with colonies. Now I'm lucky to find a lone turtle
ReplyDelete