Fun Facts about the Leatherback Sea Turtle

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Sea Turtle Activity Update September 13.pdf

The Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the world’s largest sea turtle with adults weighing between 700 and 2,000 pounds and reaching up to 8 feet in length. In Florida, with the exception of a few nests on the west coast, leatherbacks nest almost exclusively on the east coast of Florida.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Statewide Nesting Data for leatherbacks from 2017-2021 shows that no loggerhead has nested in Collier County for that period. The first known leatherback nest in Collier County was recorded on Keewaydin Island in 2015.

Unlike other sea turtles with hard shells, the leatherback has a soft shell covered with a thin layer of skin. They are named for their shell, which is leather-like rather than hard, like other sea turtles. The shell has seven ridges running from front to back. Leatherbacks dine on jellyfish and other invertebrates.

You will know when a leatherback has nested on your beach. They dig a large pit and disturb a huge area of the beach, leaving behind circling tracks as wide as six to seven feet. These are referred to as “sea turtle orientation loops or circles.”

Hatchlings do the same thing – and experts believe that this loop behavior is “like calibrating the compass” (earth’s magnetic field) to improve accuracy of their location before heading back into the water.