Huge leatherback turtle from tropical seas. Leatherback turtle, reproduction, photo, red book, habitat, description, how long a turtle lives, video. Species status and conservation measures

Leatherback turtle at the moment, the only such modern species, the evolution of which followed a separate path. Today, friends, we will tell you about this reptile, its habitat and reproduction, as well as interesting facts and lifespan.

Description of the leatherback turtle

As you know, leatherback turtle different from other types. The reason for this was the shell, not associated with the skeleton, but consisting of small bone plates, interconnected and forming ridges. The shell is covered with a thick layer of skin, but turtles do not have scutes. Thanks to this unusual shell formation, the turtle got its name. The length of her body can be 2.5 meters, and her weight is almost 600 kg! The color is usually dark with peculiar white spots all over the body.

Leatherback turtle to maintain body temperature must be constantly fed. Its diet includes jellyfish, crayfish, mollusks, trepangs (sea cucumbers), as well as young fish. On the day, the reptile can swim about 20-30 km, plunging into the depths during the day, and emerging to the surface at night.

Interesting Leatherback Facts

leatherback turtles can reach a weight of 950 kg

The reptile's diet also includes vegetation.

leatherback turtles do not always lay eggs annually, but once every 1-3 years

In order to obtain food, the turtle dives to a depth of 1000 meters.

The main problem of this species is the pollution of the oceans, and digging up eggs

Lifespan of a leatherback turtle is 50 years old

The leatherback turtle is listed in Red Book

LEATHER TURTLE HABITAT AND BREEDING

Leatherback turtle habitat

This type dwells exclusively in subtropical and tropical waters: in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Reproduction of the leatherback turtle

After solitude, the female swims to the shore and digs a hole at night, no more than a meter deep. She lays 50 to 150 eggs and swims out to sea again. After a couple of months, the babies begin to hatch. A difficult path awaits them from the coast to the sea, because there are so many terrible things around and not many will survive. First of all, the turtles are hunted by birds, and those who managed to get to the sea are still in danger. There is a crab there. And strong waves are thrown ashore, thereby killing newborns with strong blows or leading them to crabs. A long life journey is a note of joy for turtles who have successfully reached the depths of the sea.

VIDEO: ABOUT TURTLES

IN THIS VIDEO, WE OFFER YOU TO SEE HOW TURTLES ARE BORN

The leatherback turtle is the largest of its kind. It is of great interest to all nature lovers.

It differs from its closest relatives not only in size but also in the structure of the shell - it is made up of bone plates covered with thick skin.

Habitat

She is one of the few reptiles that lives almost all over the world.

Habitat

The giant tortoise lives in warm waters, and the largest population of these tortoises is concentrated in the southern part of the Kuril Islands.

Species of sea leatherback turtles are found in the Bering Sea, in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, on the coasts of Australia and Nova Scotia. Due to their unique ability to maintain body temperature above water temperature, rough-skinned turtles can travel to the coasts of Norway and Alaska.

Appearance

The turtle has a dark color from brown to black-brown. Baby leatherback turtles are distinguished by yellow markings on their back and limbs, which fade with time.

The shell is movable and not attached to the body. It is heart shaped with a wide top and tapered back. 7 ridges pass along the back, 5 more are on the belly. They perform 2 functions - they allow you to confidently maneuver in the water column and serve as protection against enemy attacks. It has a body length of about 1.5-2 meters with an average weight of 500-600 kilograms.

Tortoise forelimb span reaches 3 meters. These are work fins. The hind limbs are less developed and work as a kind of steering wheel. Due to the large size of the head, it is impossible to hide it in the shell in case of danger.

Lifestyle

During the day, the turtle spends time on the seabed. She dives to a depth of 1000 meters in search of food. The diet of a large reptile is mainly jellyfish, but algae, crustaceans, and small fish often become its prey. The turtle bites its prey and swallows it.

At night, the reptile stays on the surface of the water. These species of leatherback turtles prefer to lead a solitary life, they do not stray in flocks and make long journeys alone. Despite its huge size, it develops an impressive speed - up to 30 km / h. On land, they move much more slowly and clumsily, so only females leave the water area and exclusively for laying eggs.

reproduction

The leatherback turtle is ready to breed at the age of 20. The male and female mate in the water, and the female lays her eggs in the coastal zone. She buries the clutch, in which from 50 to 150 eggs, into the sand to a depth of more than one meter, carefully falls asleep and levels the place.

In one season, the female makes 4-6 clutches. The incubation period lasts 2 months. Then the pups of the Pacific leatherback turtle get out of the shelter, and, obeying the natural instinct, head for the water.

Enemies

The most dangerous is the first day of the life of small turtles. Predatory, lizards and animals know when the time comes for a new generation to come out and lie in wait for it on the shore.

Only a few manage to escape, there are times when the entire masonry died without reaching the water. If the baby leatherback turtle was able to get to the reservoir, it begins a measured life.

The main enemy of adult reptiles is man. Pollution of water bodies, illegal catching of reptiles and the development of the tourism business have significantly affected the number of this species. Often the reptile takes garbage and plastic for food, nutrition is disturbed and the individual dies.

Lifespan

The reptile lives up to 50 years. In captivity, it was not possible to create acceptable conditions for the reproduction and growth of the reptile.

1. The turtle is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest species of reptile - the maximum speed of its movement under water was recorded, which was 35.28 kilometers per hour. The animal remained under water for 70 minutes.
2. The leatherback turtle is listed in the Red Book and is protected by environmental organizations. Over the past century, the number of individuals worldwide has decreased by 97%.
3. The deepest dive was made by a giant leatherback turtle at 1280 meters.

Family: leatherback turtles Genus: leatherback turtles View: Leatherback turtle Latin name Dermochelys coriacea
(Vandelli , ) area area

The main places of masonry

Other known masonry

		Leatherback turtles lay eggs every 1-3 years. During the breeding season there can be from 4 to 7 clutches of 100 eggs each. The break between clutches is about 10 days. They come ashore only at night. They dig whole wells, the depth of which reaches 100-120 cm. Having lowered the back part of the body into this well, the female lays two groups of eggs - ordinary and small (unfertilized). Having filled up the nest, the female compacts the sand tightly with flippers. Small eggs burst at the same time, increasing the nesting space. The turtles, having got out of the nest, crawl along the sand, rotating their flippers, as if swimming. Classification see also Sandoval, Jairo Mora (1987-2013) - Eco-activist victim of poaching for leatherback turtle eggs. Write a review on the article "Leather Turtle" Notes Ananyeva N. B., Borkin L. Ya., Darevsky I. S., Orlov N. L. Five-language dictionary of animal names. Amphibians and reptiles. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / under the general editorship of acad. V. E. Sokolova. - M .: Rus. yaz., 1988. - S. 144. - 10,500 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00232-X. Leatherback turtle // Great Soviet encyclopedia: [in 30 volumes] / ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov Eckert K. L., Luginbuhl C.// Marine Turtle Newsletter. - 1988. - Vol. 43. - P. 2–3. from the original on October 21, 2014. (English) . Sea Turtle Conservancy. Retrieved October 21, 2014. . Davenport J., Wrench J., McEvoy J., Camacho-Ibar V.// Marine Turtle Newsletter. - 1990. - Vol. 48. - P. 1–6. from the original on October 21, 2014. , with. 26. , with. 25. leatherback turtles(Dermochelyidae Fitzinger, 1843) after Ananiev et al. 2004, p. nineteen Literature Ananyeva N. B., Orlov N. L., Khalikov R. G., Darevsky I. S., Ryabov S. A., Barabanov A. V. Atlas of reptiles of Northern Eurasia (taxonomic diversity, geographical distribution and conservation status). - St. Petersburg. : Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2004. - S. 19. - 1000 copies. - ISBN 5-98092-007-2. Kharin V. E. Biota of Russian waters of the Sea of ​​Japan. T. 7. Reptiles. - Vladivostok: Dalnauka, 2008. - S. 25-27. - 170 s. - ISBN 978-5-8044-0946-4. Links The Reptile Database: Leatherback turtle // Great Soviet encyclopedia: [in 30 volumes] / ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. - 3rd ed. - M. : Soviet encyclopedia, 1969-1978. An excerpt characterizing the leatherback turtle “The city is being surrendered, leave, leave,” the officer who noticed his figure said to him and immediately turned to the soldiers with a cry: - I'll let you run around the yards! he shouted. Alpatych returned to the hut and, calling the coachman, ordered him to leave. Following Alpatych and the coachman, all Ferapontov's household went out. Seeing the smoke and even the lights of the fires, which were now visible in the beginning twilight, the women, who had been silent until then, suddenly began to wail, looking at the fires. As if echoing them, similar cries were heard at the other ends of the street. Alpatych with a coachman, with trembling hands, straightened the tangled reins and horses' lines under a canopy. When Alpatych was leaving the gate, he saw ten soldiers in the open shop of Ferapontov pouring sacks and knapsacks with wheat flour and sunflowers with a loud voice. At the same time, returning from the street to the shop, Ferapontov entered. Seeing the soldiers, he wanted to shout something, but suddenly stopped and, clutching his hair, burst out laughing with sobbing laughter. - Get it all, guys! Don't get the devils! he shouted, grabbing the sacks himself and throwing them out into the street. Some soldiers, frightened, ran out, some continued to pour. Seeing Alpatych, Ferapontov turned to him. - Decided! Russia! he shouted. - Alpatych! decided! I'll burn it myself. I made up my mind ... - Ferapontov ran into the yard. Soldiers were constantly walking along the street, filling it all up, so that Alpatych could not pass and had to wait. The hostess Ferapontova was also sitting on the cart with the children, waiting to be able to leave. It was already quite night. There were stars in the sky and a young moon shone from time to time, shrouded in smoke. On the descent to the Dnieper, the carts of Alpatych and the hostess, slowly moving in the ranks of soldiers and other crews, had to stop. Not far from the crossroads where the carts stopped, in an alley, a house and shops were on fire. The fire has already burned out. The flame either died away and was lost in black smoke, then it suddenly flashed brightly, strangely clearly illuminating the faces of the crowded people standing at the crossroads. In front of the fire, black figures of people flashed by, and from behind the incessant crackle of the fire, voices and screams were heard. Alpatych, who got down from the wagon, seeing that they would not let his wagon through soon, turned to the alley to look at the fire. The soldiers darted incessantly back and forth past the fire, and Alpatych saw how two soldiers and with them a man in a frieze overcoat dragged burning logs from the fire across the street to the neighboring yard; others carried armfuls of hay. Alpatych approached a large crowd of people standing in front of a high barn burning with full fire. The walls were all on fire, the back collapsed, the boarded roof collapsed, the beams were on fire. Obviously, the crowd was waiting for the moment when the roof would collapse. Alpatych expected the same. - Alpatych! Suddenly a familiar voice called out to the old man. “Father, your excellency,” answered Alpatych, instantly recognizing the voice of his young prince. Prince Andrei, in a raincoat, riding a black horse, stood behind the crowd and looked at Alpatych. – How are you here? - he asked. - Your ... your Excellency, - Alpatych said and sobbed ... - Yours, yours ... or have we already disappeared? Father… – How are you here? repeated Prince Andrew. The flame flared brightly at that moment and illuminated Alpatych's pale and exhausted face of his young master. Alpatych told how he was sent and how he could have left by force. “Well, Your Excellency, or are we lost?” he asked again. Prince Andrei, without answering, took out a notebook and, raising his knee, began to write with a pencil on a torn sheet. He wrote to his sister: “Smolensk is being surrendered,” he wrote, “the Bald Mountains will be occupied by the enemy in a week. Leave now for Moscow. Answer me as soon as you leave, sending a courier to Usvyazh. Having written and handed over the sheet to Alpatych, he verbally told him how to arrange the departure of the prince, princess and son with the teacher and how and where to answer him immediately. He had not yet had time to complete these orders, when the chief of staff on horseback, accompanied by his retinue, galloped up to him. - Are you a colonel? shouted the chief of staff, with a German accent, in a voice familiar to Prince Andrei. - Houses are lit in your presence, and you are standing? What does this mean? You will answer, - shouted Berg, who was now assistant chief of staff of the left flank of the infantry troops of the first army, - the place is very pleasant and in sight, as Berg said. Prince Andrei looked at him and, without answering, continued, turning to Alpatych: “So tell me that I’m waiting for an answer by the tenth, and if I don’t get the news on the tenth that everyone has left, I myself will have to drop everything and go to the Bald Mountains. “I, prince, only say so,” said Berg, recognizing Prince Andrei, “that I must obey orders, because I always fulfill them exactly ... Please excuse me,” Berg justified himself in some way.

Giant sea turtle (lat. Dermochelys coriacea) is otherwise called leathery for obvious reasons. The shell of this turtle is not covered with horny plates, which are common for turtles, but with thick skin.

The unique structure of the tortoise shell (pseudocarapace) facilitates its movement in the aquatic environment, but at the same time serves as an effective means of protection. The habitats of the leatherback turtle are all oceans, with the exception, of course, of the Arctic. The leatherback turtle also lives in the Mediterranean Sea, but it is extremely rare to meet it there.

The leatherback turtle is today the heaviest reptile. The average weight of an adult individual fluctuates around four hundred kilograms. In rare cases, the mass can reach one ton.

In the water, the leatherback turtle moves with all four limbs, but uses them differently. The front flippers are the main engine, the rear ones act as steering. Leatherback turtles are good divers. Fleeing from predators, the leatherback turtle is able to dive to a kilometer depth. The movements of the leatherback turtle in its native element are truly graceful. Slow and clumsy on land, the leatherback turtle transforms unrecognizably in the water.

Leatherback turtles are solitary and do not live in herds. Therefore, it is difficult to detect them. Their way of life is secrecy.

Despite their gigantic size, the adult leatherback turtle can be very fast in the aquatic environment, and does not always retreat when threatened. The tortoise, defending itself, can also fight. The animal defends itself with the help of strong front paws, and powerful jaws can easily break a thick wooden stick.

Egg laying in leatherback turtles occurs three to four times a year. The female tears off something like a well about a meter deep in the sand and lays up to a hundred eggs the size of a tennis ball. After laying eggs, the female fills the hole with sand.

It is difficult to excavate a meter layer of sand. Therefore, the ability of newborn turtles to independently get out from under it is amazing.

The largest on the entire earthly planet is considered leatherback turtle. This creature belongs to the tortoiseshell order, the class of reptiles. This representative of the tortoiseshell has no relatives in the genus.

Large leatherback turtle such one. There are her relatives from sea turtles, who are somewhat similar to her, but these similarities are minimal, which further emphasizes the uniqueness of this creation of nature.

In appearance sea ​​leatherback turtle quite a cute and charming creature. Initially, it may even seem harmless. This lasts exactly until her mouth opens.

In this case, a frightening picture opens up to the eye - a mouth consisting of more than one row of sharp teeth resembling a razor. Such a spectacle can not be seen in every carnivore. Stalactite teeth completely cover her mouth, esophagus and intestines.

Character and lifestyle

This largest turtle in the world inspires fear with its huge size alone. Its shell is over 2 meters long. This miracle of nature weighs about 600 kg.

There are no claws on the front flippers of the turtle. The span of flippers reaches up to 3 meters. The heart-shaped shell is crowned with crests. There are 7 of them on the back, 5 on the belly. The head of the turtle is large. The turtle does not pull it under the shell, as almost all other turtles do.

The horny part on the top of the jaw is decorated on both sides with two large teeth. The shell is painted in dark colors with brown or brown hues. The ridges located along the turtle's body and on the edge of the flippers are yellow.

There are some differences between males and females of these reptiles. The carapace of males is more narrowed towards the rear, they also have a slightly longer tail. Newborn turtles are covered with plates that disappear after a few weeks of their life. Young individuals are all covered with yellow spots.

Of all the reptiles, leatherback turtles are the third largest in the world in terms of parameters. Despite their intimidating appearance, these turtles are pretty cute creatures that feed mostly on jellyfish.

The turtle reaches this size because of its large appetite. Every day she eats a large amount of food, which translates into incredible calories, exceeding survival rates by 6-7 times.

Another name for a turtle gigantic. Her shell not only helps the reptile to move without problems in the expanses of water, but also serves as an excellent means for self-preservation for her. Today it is not only one of the largest reptiles, it is the heaviest. Sometimes there are turtles weighing more than a ton.

The turtle uses all four limbs to move in the water. But their functions in the reptile are different. The forelimbs act as the main engine of this powerful creature.

Turtles use their hind legs to control their movement. The leatherback turtle is excellent at diving underwater. In case of danger from potential enemies, the turtle can dive into the depths of 1 km.

In the water, despite their impressive size, leatherback turtles move smoothly and gracefully. What can not be said about her movement on land, there it is slow and clumsy. The leatherback turtle prefers to live alone. This is not a herd creature. Finding these secretive creatures is a very difficult task.

There are times when, due to its impressive size, it is difficult for a turtle to retreat from its possible enemy. Then the reptile enters the fray. The front limbs and strong jaws are used, capable of biting a large tree.

For adult turtles, it is more acceptable to be in the open ocean, they are born precisely for this life. Turtles are big fans of travel. They can overcome simply unrealistically long distances, about 20,000 km.

In the daytime, the reptile prefers to be in deep waters, but at night it can be seen on the surface. This behavior largely depends on the behavior of jellyfish - the main source of energy for reptiles.

The body of this amazing creature is in a constant, almost unchanged temperature regime. This property is possible only thanks to its good nutrition.

This reptile is considered the fastest reptile in the entire universe. It can reach speeds of about 35 km / h. This record was included in the Guinness Book of Records. Adult leatherback turtles have incredible strength. The leatherback turtle is active 24 hours a day.

Features and habitat

The habitat of the leatherback turtle is in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. It can be seen on the shores of Iceland, Labrador, Norway, the British Isles. Alaska and Japan, Argentina, Chile, Australia and some territories are the habitats of the leatherback turtle.

The water element for this reptile is home. Her whole life is spent in the water. The only exception is the breeding season of turtles. As such, turtles have no enemies due to their large size. No one dares to offend or feast on such a huge creature. People eat the meat of these reptiles. There were cases of poisoning with their meat.

It is possible to meet leatherback turtles less and less. This is due to the fact that places for laying their eggs are becoming less and less every day due to human activity.

More and more coasts of the seas and oceans, in which leatherback turtles are accustomed to live due to mass tourism and the construction of various entertainment facilities, resort areas on them, are becoming not entirely suitable for the normal life of these mammals.

Moreover, such a deplorable situation is observed in many countries. The government of some of them, in order to save the turtles from extinction, create protected areas, which help these amazing creatures to survive.

Often, plastic bags thrown into the sea are mistaken for turtles and consumed. This in many cases leads to their death. And people are trying to fight this phenomenon.

Nutrition

The main and favorite food of these mammals are jellyfish of different sizes. The mouth of leatherback turtles is designed in such a way that the victim that got there is simply not able to get out.

Many times, fish and crustaceans were found in the stomach of turtles. But, according to scientists, to a greater extent, they get there purely by chance along with jellyfish. In search of food, these reptiles can travel enormous distances.

Reproduction and lifespan

Turtles lay eggs at different times. It depends on the climatic conditions of a particular region. In order to do this, the female has to come out of the water and nest above the high tide line.

She does this with her hind limbs. With them, she digs a deep hole, sometimes reaching more than 1 meter. The female lays 30-130 eggs in this egg storage. On average, there are about 80 of them.

After the eggs are laid, the turtle covers them with sand, tamping it well at the same time. Such security measures save reptile eggs from possible predators, who can easily get their own green turtle eggs.

Turtles have 3-4 such clutches per year. The vitality of small turtles is striking, which, after being born, need to make their own way in the sand to a depth of 1 meter.

On the surface, they may be in danger in the form of predatory animals that are not averse to feasting on babies. As a result, not all newborn reptile cubs manage to get to the ocean without problems. An interesting fact is that females return to the same place for repeated laying.

The sex of babies born depends on the temperature regime. At cold temperatures, males are most often born. With warming, more females appear.

The incubation period of eggs is 2 months. The main task for newborn babies is their transition to water. At this time, their food is plankton until they meet jellyfish on the way.

The growth of small turtles is not so fast. They add only 20 cm per year. Until they grow up leatherback turtles live on top of the water layer, where there are more jellyfish and warmer. The average life span of these reptiles is about 50 years.