Leatherback turtle

Leatherback turtle has survived for more than a hundred million years, is facing extinction. From calculation shows, for the last twenty years the number of species decreased rapidly, especially in the Pacific: only around 2,300 adult females left. This proves the Pacific leatherback turtles to be the most endangered sea turtle populations in the world. In the Pacific, such as in Indonesia alone, the population just left a few of the previous (2983 nests in 1999 from 13,000 nests in 1984).

Leatherback turtle has survived for more than a hundred million years, is facing extinction. From calculation shows, for the last twenty years the number of species decreased rapidly, especially in the Pacific: only around 2,300 adult females left. This proves the Pacific leatherback turtles to be the most endangered sea turtle populations in the world. In the Pacific, such as in Indonesia alone, the population just left a few of the previous (2983 nests in 1999 from 13,000 nests in 1984).Physical description of leatherback turtles

•     Have dark-colored leather shell with white spots that are not as hard as other turtle
•     Long front flippers
•     Size can be up to 180 cm and weight of 500 kg
•     Is the largest sea turtle and one of the largest living reptiles.

Ecology and HabitatLeatherback turtles are found from tropical waters to polar oceans and ordinary sub laying on beaches in tropical areas. This species spends most of his life in the open ocean appears only to land at the time of spawning.
Expanded reproductionFemale leatherback turtles may lay four to five times per season, each time by 60 to 129 eggs. Surprisingly, about half of the eggs in each nest is very small to be able to develop properly, or does not have a yolk. Leatherback turtles nest every two or three years, with an incubation time of 60 days.
FoodLeatherback turtles are large very unusual, because only eat foods low in energy and low in protein from soft creatures such as jellyfish, squid and tunicates (invertebrates such as sea jellies).
Population and DistributionLeatherback turtles are reported to appear in the northern region, Alaska to the southern area of ​​Cape of Good Hope, Africa.
Threat

•     Too few individuals amid persistent threats, such as other sea turtle species, leatherback turtles endangered by taking their eggs, hunting adult turtles to be meat, disfigurement panatai nesting sites, and accidental death because fish caught by vessels. Because many of these threats, leatherback turtles, including the Critically Endangered list compiled by the IUCN Red List.
•     Direct recruitment; Traditionally eggs taken, particularly in Asia, and this practice merupakanpenyebab possibility descent populations of this species in the world.
•     Indirect recruitment; during the period in the 1990s, each year is estimated around 1,500 adult female leatherback turtles killed in nets Longline and gillnet in the Pacific.
•     Pollution; marine pollution by plastic is one of the causes of death. Phthalates, chemicals derived from plastics, found in egg yolk leatherback turtles. Leatherback turtles are often plastic counting jellyfish, their favorite food and then choking when swallowing.