I want to send a BIG thank you out to Juhis Lankinen for sharing his photos of the leatherback sea turtle we saw on August 22, 2015. This was such an amazing sighting and the first for Quoddy Link Marine in the 21 year history of the company (and my first leatherback sighting ever).
Leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea) are the largest sea turtle in the world reaching an average length of 2 meters and more than 900 kg! They have the most hydrodynamic design of any turtle and they have 7 distinct dorsal ridges on their soft, leathery carapace. Leatherbacks are unique among reptiles as they are endothermic able to maintain an internal body temperature about 18 C above the water temperature. They are also the fastest moving reptile (recorded at 35 km/h) and one of the deepest diving marine animals (more than 1200 m). Their diet consists almost entirely of jellyfish and like all marine animals plastic marine debris is a huge conservation issue.
leatherback sea turtle showing the characteristic dorsal ridges
leatherback sea turtle raising it’s head for a breath
leatherback sea turtle
THANK YOU again to Juhis Lankinen for sharing these images, we appreciate it so much!!
Cheers,
Danielle
