Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
Kingdom: Animalia Class: Reptilia Order: Testudines Family: Dermochelyidae
Listing Status:
General Information
The leatherback is the largest, deepest diving, and most migratory and wide ranging of all sea turtles. The adult leatherback can reach 4 to 8 feet in length and 500 to 2000 pounds in weight. Its shell is composed of a mosaic of small bones covered by firm, rubbery skin with seven longitudinal ridges or keels. The skin is predominantly black with varying degrees of pale spotting; including a notable pink spot on the dorsal surface of the head in adults. A toothlike cusp is located on each side of the gray upper jaw; the lower jaw is hooked anteriorly. The paddle-like clawless limbs are black with white margins and pale spotting.
- States/US Territories in which the Leatherback sea turtle is known to occur: Alabama , Alaska , American Samoa , California , Connecticut , Delaware , Florida , Georgia , Guam , Hawaii , Louisiana , Maine , Maryland , Massachusetts , Mississippi , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New York , North Carolina , Northern Mariana Islands , Oregon , Puerto Rico , Rhode Island , South Carolina , Texas , Virgin Islands , Virginia , Washington
- USFWS Refuges in which the Leatherback sea turtle is known to occur:
ARANSAS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
,
ARCHIE CARR NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
,
BLACKBEARD ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
,
BRETON NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
,
CAPE ROMAIN NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
... Show All Refuges
- Countries in which the the Leatherback sea turtle is known to occur: Albania , Angola , Antigua and Barbuda , Argentina , Aruba , Australia , Bahamas , Bahrain , Barbados , Benin , Brazil , British Virgin Islands , Canada , Cayman Islands , Chile , China , Colombia , Congo , Costa Rica , Cuba , Dominica , Dominican Republic , Ecuador , El Salvador , Eritrea , Fiji , French Guiana , Gabon , Ghana , Grenada , Guadeloupe , Guatemala , Guyana , Haiti , Honduras , India , Indonesia , Italy , Ivory Coast , Jamaica , Liberia , Malaysia , Martinique , Mauritania , Mexico , Montserrat , Mozambique , Myanmar (Burma) , Netherlands Antilles , New Zealand , Nicaragua , Palau , Panama , Papua New Guinea , Peru , Philippines , Portugal , Saint Kitts and Nevis , Saint Lucia , Saint Vincent and the Grenadines , Sao Tome and Principe , Senegal , Solomon Islands , South Africa , Sri Lanka , Suriname , Taiwan , Thailand , Togo , Trinidad and Tobago , Turks and Caicos Islands , Vanuatu , Venezuela
- For more information: http://www.fws.gov/northflorida
» Federal Register Documents
Date | Citation Page | Title |
---|---|---|
03/23/1999 | 64 FR 14051 14077 | (NOAA/NMFS) Endangered and Threatened Species; Regulations Consolidation; Final Rule |
06/29/1987 | 52 FR 24244 24262 | NOAA--Sea Turtle Conservation; Shrimp Trawling Requirements; 52 FR 24244- 24262 |
03/23/1979 | 44 FR 17710 17712 | Determination of Critical Habitat for the Leatherback Sea Turtle |
09/26/1978 | 43 FR 43688 43689 | Determination of Critical Habitat for the Leatherback Sea Turtle |
03/23/1978 | 43 FR 12050 12051 | Proposed Determination of Critical Habitat for the Leatherback Sea Turtle |
Date | Citation Page | Title |
---|---|---|
03/23/1999 | 64 FR 14051 14077 | (NOAA/NMFS) Endangered and Threatened Species; Regulations Consolidation; Final Rule |
06/29/1987 | 52 FR 24244 24262 | NOAA--Sea Turtle Conservation; Shrimp Trawling Requirements; 52 FR 24244- 24262 |
» Recovery
Recovery Plan Information SearchDate | Title | Plan Action Status | Plan Status |
---|---|---|---|
04/06/1992 | Recovery Plan for Leatherback Turtles in the U.S. Caribbean, Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico | View Implementation Progress | Final Revision 1 |
01/12/1998 | Recovery Plan for U.S. Pacific Populations of the Leatherback Turtle | View Implementation Progress | Final Revision 1 |
Date | Title |
---|---|
08/21/2007 | Leatherback sea turtle 5-yr review |
» Critical Habitat
Date | Citation Page | Title | Document Type | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
03/23/1999 | 64 FR 14051 14077 | (NOAA/NMFS) Endangered and Threatened Species; Regulations Consolidation; Final Rule | Final Rule | Active |
03/23/1979 | 44 FR 17710 17712 | Determination of Critical Habitat for the Leatherback Sea Turtle | Final Rule | Not Required |
09/26/1978 | 43 FR 43688 43689 | Determination of Critical Habitat for the Leatherback Sea Turtle | Final Rule | Not Required |
03/23/1978 | 43 FR 12050 12051 | Proposed Determination of Critical Habitat for the Leatherback Sea Turtle | Proposed Rule | Not Required |
To learn more about critical habitat please see http://criticalhabitat.fws.gov
» Conservation Plans
HCP Plan Summaries |
---|
Culebra Northshore |
Indian River County Sea Turtle |
Palmas del Mar Resort |
St. Johns County Government |
Volusia Beaches |
» Petitions
No petition findings have been published for the Leatherback sea turtle.
» Life History
No Life History information has been entered into this system for this species.
» Other Resources
NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.
ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.