Devon Wildlife Trust A giant of the sea turtle world, leatherback turtles are ocean wanderers searching the seas for jellyfish. Unlike other sea turtles, leatherback turtles don’t mind the cold! This means they can dive to great depths where the water is a lot colder to get first pick of all the deep sea jellyfish.
This giant of the sea turtle world travels alone, only coming together with other turtles to breed. They lay their eggs on beaches and leave them unsupervised, leaving the baby turtles to make their way to the sea alone once they hatch. These unique animals are specially adapted to be able to cope with colder seas, which means they are able to dive to great depths in order to hunt deep sea jellyfish. They have an incredible (and slightly gruesome) way of making sure they never lose a meal – they have downward facing spines inside their throat that stops prey getting out! Unfortunately, the leatherback turtle can get confused and accidentally eat plastic bags or balloons as they look like jellyfish. These plastic items then get stuck in their throats and can cause serious health problems for the turtle.
How to Identify
A large black turtle with white dots all over the body, flippers and head. They have a lighter underbelly with a pink colouration on the underthroat and chin. Their front flippers can reach 2.5m. Other sea turtle species rarely visit UK waters, but are distinct from leatherbacks as they have a hard shell and are green/brown in colour. Leatherbacks lack a hard shell and have leathery skin covering their backs.
Photo: MARINElife https://www.facebook.com/MARINElifeUK/photos/3932778166735876
Landmark Trust - Lundy The island’s location between the Atlantic and the Bristol Channel means that our marine visitor list also includes rarities such as leatherback turtles and unusual visitors such as Sunfish.
https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/lundyisland/discovering-lundy/wildlife/below-the-waves/marine-life/
MARINElife is a science charity that conducts an Ocean Health Check by gathering information of key marine species so they can be better protected. We provide relevant, robust and up-to-date information to those working for the sustainable future of our oceans.
We operate year-round surveys using a repeatable scientific methodology along fixed 'transect' routes through the key areas of ocean in Northern Europe, including The Channel, Bay of Biscay and North Sea. Our work is driven by dedicated volunteers who operate from ferries, freight ships, cruise liners and smaller recreational boats as a cost-effective means to gather data in areas which are little studied.
https://www.marine-life.org.uk/
Devon Reptile and Amphibian Group DRAG aims to raise awareness and understanding of the conservation of amphibians and reptiles, in Devon and the UK, through reptile and amphibian recording, and habitat management work. DRAG aims to bring together people with an interest in reptiles and amphibians.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/DevonARG/
Devon Biodiversity Record Centre Submit your sightings of Leatherback Turtles and other species in Devon
https://www.dbrc.org.uk/wildlife-sightings/
Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust The Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (ARC) was established in June 2009, making its debut at the Hampton Court Flower Show with its Bronze Medal winning ‘Dragon’s Garden’. ARC was created around the core of the Herpetological Conservation Trust (HCT), in response to the wider needs of herpetofauna conservation, providing the UK focus for all aspects of reptile and amphibian conservation. Thus, ARC looks more broadly than the traditional focus on nature reserve management and rare species action plans and advocacy that had been the main reason for HCT’s formation in 1989. The creation of ARC was more than a rebranding exercise – it was established following extensive discussions with other organisations who had expressed a desire to work with and support the aims of the new charity.
Marine Conservation Society The leatherback, the largest marine turtle, is the species most frequently recorded in UK waters. Leatherbacks have a flexible, leathery shell and are unique among reptiles in that they are able to metabolically raise their body temperature above that of their immediate environment, allowing them to survive in colder waters. Each summer, leatherbacks migrate to UK waters where they feed on jellyfish.
https://www.mcsuk.org/what-you-can-do/sightings/marine-turtles-in-uk-waters-sighting/
National Biodiversity Network (Dermochelys coriacea)
The NBN Atlas is a collaborative project that aggregates biodiversity data from multiple sources and makes it available and usable online. It is the UK’s largest collection of freely available biodiversity data.
https://species.nbnatlas.org/species/NBNSYS0000188646
Wikipedia The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile. It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys and family Dermochelyidae. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell; instead, its carapace is covered by oily flesh and flexible, leather-like skin, for which it is named.
