How long leatherback turtles live

Female hatchlings that make it to sea will roam the oceans until they reach sexual maturity, when they return to the same nesting areas to produce their own offspring. Males spend the rest of their lives at sea. Many leatherbacks meet an early end due to human activity. It is estimated that only about one in a thousand leatherback hatchlings survive to adulthood. Eggs are often taken by humans from nests to be consumed for subsistence or as aphrodisiacs.

Many leatherbacks fall victim to fishing lines and nets, or are struck by boats. Leatherbacks also can die if they ingest floating plastic debris mistaken for their favorite food: jellyfish. Some individuals have been found to have almost 11 pounds of plastic in their stomachs.

The number of leatherbacks in the Atlantic appears to be stable or increasing, but the Pacific population is declining at an alarming rate due to egg harvest, fishery bycatch, coastal development, and highly variable food availability. Some Pacific populations have disappeared entirely from certain areas, such as Malaysia. Scientists around the world are tracking and studying leatherbacks to learn more about these reptilian giants and how they can be saved.

All rights reserved. A leatherback sea turtle hatchling photographed in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. Common Name: Leatherback Sea Turtle.

Scientific Name: Dermochelys coriacea. Type: Reptiles. It is remarkable that this large, active animal can survive on a diet of jellyfish, which are composed mostly of water and appear to be a poor source of nutrients.

Habitat: Primarily found in the open ocean, as far north as Alaska and as far south as the southern tip of Africa, though recent satellite tracking research indicates that leatherbacks feed in areas just offshore.

Known to be active in water below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the only reptile known to remain active at such a low temperature. Nesting: Nest at intervals of 2 to 3 years, though recent research has indicated they can nest every year. Nests between 4 to 7 times per season, with an average of 10 days between nestings.

Lays an average of 80 fertilized eggs, the size of billiard balls, and 30 smaller, unfertilized eggs, in each nest.

Eggs incubate for about 65 days. Unlike other species of sea turtles, leatherback females may change nesting beaches, though they tend to stay in the same region. The actions taken by stranding network participants improve the survivability of sick, injured, and entangled turtles while also helping scientists and managers to expand their knowledge about diseases and other threats that affect sea turtles in the marine environment and on land.

The conservation and recovery of sea turtles requires international cooperation and agreements to ensure the survival of these highly migratory animals. We work closely with partners in many countries across the globe to promote sea turtle conservation and recovery. Two international agreements specifically focused on sea turtle conservation are:. The leatherback turtle was first listed under the ESA in We found that the petitioned action may be warranted and conducted a global status review.

After evaluating the best available science and conservation efforts on behalf of the species, we determined that the petitioned actions were not warranted because all leatherback populations meet the definition of an endangered species.

Therefore, as we described in the month finding , the leatherback turtle remains listed as an endangered species under the ESA. In , we finalized regulations to require turtle excluder devices TEDs in shrimp trawl fisheries to reduce sea turtle bycatch. Since then, we have updated these regulations as new information became available and TEDs were modified to improve their turtle exclusion rates. TEDs are also required in the summer flounder fishery in certain areas along the Atlantic coast of the United States.

We have also implemented other measures to reduce sea turtle bycatch in fisheries through regulations and permits under both the ESA and Magnuson-Stevens Act. These requirements include the use of large circle hooks in longline fisheries, time and area closures for gillnets, and modifications to pound net leaders and Atlantic sea scallop dredges.

See all regulations to protect sea turtles. NOAA Fisheries conducts research on the biology, behavior, and ecology of the leatherback sea turtle. The results of this research are used to inform management decisions and enhance recovery efforts for the species. This information can help NOAA Fisheries evaluate the effectiveness of conservation and recovery measures, and can help guide actions to enhance recovery.

To estimate population abundance, researchers conduct aerial and vessel-based surveys of selected areas and capture and mark turtles in the water and on beaches. We also incorporate data collected on nesting beaches via stranding networks and from fisheries observer programs. Other information that informs sea turtle population assessments includes population structure genetic analyses , age to maturity, survivorship of the various life stages e.

Satellite telemetry allows researchers to track sea turtles as they migrate between and within foraging and nesting areas. The data help us understand migration patterns, identify feeding areas, and identify where turtles overlap with their primary threats e. Research scientist preparing to place a satellite tag on a leatherback turtle off Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Learn more about tagging and tracking of leatherbacks in the Pacific:. We observe fisheries to understand the level of sea turtle bycatch and the ways in which turtles interact with fishing gear. Learn more about our fishing gear research. Learn more about our turtle genetics and isotope studies. The Species in the Spotlight initiative is a concerted agency-wide effort to spotlight and save….

A status review for listing of Leatherback sea turtle as endangered species under the…. Programmatic biological opinion on the Gulf of Mexico oil and Gas Program in federal waters…. Leatherback Turtle Dermochelys coriacea. Throughout Its Range.

Quick Facts Weight. Adult: to 1, pounds. Unknown, but estimated to be 50 years or more. See Regulatory Actions. Leatherback turtle hatchling on beach. Bycatch in Fishing Gear The primary threat to sea turtles is their unintended capture in fishing gear which can result in drowning or cause injuries that lead to death or debilitation for example, swallowing hooks or flipper entanglement. Direct Harvest of Turtles and Eggs Historically, sea turtles including leatherbacks were killed for their meat and their eggs were collected for consumption.

Loss and Degradation of Nesting Habitat Coastal development and rising seas from climate change are leading to the loss of nesting beach habitat for leatherback turtles.

Vessel Strikes Various types of watercraft can strike leatherback turtles when they are at or near the surface, resulting in injury or death. Climate Change For all sea turtles, a warming climate is likely to result in changes in beach morphology and higher sand temperatures which can be lethal to eggs, or alter the ratio of male and female hatchlings produced. We are committed to the protection and conservation of leatherback turtles by: Working with partners to ensure compliance with national, state, and U.

Science We conduct various research activities on the biology, behavior, and ecology of leatherback sea turtles. Our work includes: Monitoring populations through vessel-based or aerial surveys, nesting beach studies, satellite tracking, genetics, and mark-recapture flipper tagging studies Studying foraging and reproductive behavior to understand demographics, physiology, habitat use, and resource requirements Tracking individuals over time to understand important aspects of their life history such as growth and age to maturity Evaluating life history and population health information from stranding and fisheries bycatch datasets Understanding impacts of change in environmental and ocean conditions on sea turtle abundance, distribution, and demographics Estimating population abundance and analyzing trends Monitoring fisheries impacts and designing fishing gear to minimize bycatch during commercial and recreational fishing operations Capacity building and training to share the latest scientific techniques and tools to monitor sea turtle populations globally.

How You Can Help. Reduce Ocean Trash. Keep Your Distance. Protect Sea Turtle Habitat. Report Marine Life in Distress. Featured News Green sea turtle underwater. The Pacific leatherback sea turtles have existed in their current form without scales and a hard shell since the age of the dinosaurs, but threats from bycatch, egg harvesting, and degradation of nesting habit have made this species endangered.

Photo credit Jason Isley, Scubazoo. Pacific Islands. Scientists follow a Pacific leatherback turtle in waters off the U. The endangered turtles migrate 7, miles across the Pacific Ocean to feed on jellyfish off the coast of North America.

View More News. Related Species. Management Overview Leatherback turtles are protected under the Endangered Species Act and listed as endangered.

The major recovery actions for leatherback turtles include: Protecting sea turtles on nesting beaches and in marine environments Protecting nesting and foraging habitats Reducing bycatch in commercial, artisanal, and recreational fisheries Reducing the effects of entanglement and ingestion of marine debris Reducing vessel strikes in coastal habitats Working with partners internationally to protect turtles in all life-stages Supporting research and conservation projects consistent with Recovery Plan priorities Two recovery plans have been developed to recover and protect leatherback turtle populations found in U.

Recovery Plan for the U. Pacific Populations of the Leatherback Sea Turtle The highly migratory behavior of sea turtles makes them shared resources among many nations, so conservation efforts for sea turtle populations must extend beyond national boundaries. Implementation NOAA Fisheries is working to minimize effects from human activities that are detrimental to the recovery of leatherback turtles in the United States and internationally.

Efforts to conserve leatherback turtles include: Protecting habitat and designating critical habitat Reducing bycatch Rescue and disentanglement Eliminating the killing of turtles and the collection of their eggs Eliminating the harassment of turtles on nesting beaches and foraging habitats through education and enforcement Consulting with federal agencies to ensure their activities are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of listed species Pacific leatherbacks are one of NOAA Fisheries' Species in the Spotlight.

Virgin Islands View the leatherback turtle critical habitat map for the U. Fisheries Observers Bycatch in fishing gear is the primary human-caused source of sea turtle injury and mortality in U. Those that come ashore seek nesting sites free of debris tree limbs. If the turtle does not find a suitable site for her nest, she may return to the ocean without laying.

Leatherbacks carve out an egg chamber about 75 centimeters inches deep in the sand, where they deposit eggs. East Pacific leatherbacks are known to lay fewer eggs than their counterparts in the Atlantic.

Only 85 percent of these eggs are viable, as some have no yolk to develop into an embryo. A leatherback can lay 7 to 11 individual nests per season, laying a new nest every 10 days. Between nesting seasons, females will spend years feeding to build up enough energy to nest again.

Older females typically lay more nests with more eggs than turtles that have recently reached maturity. The sex of turtle eggs is determined by the temperature of the nest. During the middle third of incubation days the temperature within the nest determines the ratio of males to females; warmer temperatures mean more females while cooler temperatures yield more males.