Leatherback Turtle (scientific name: Dermochelys coriacea) belongs to the family Dermochelyidae and genus Dermochelys. Leatherback turtle is large in size and is the largest species in the order Testudines. It has a large head, short neck, and tail. The forelimbs are developed and paddle-shaped without claws.
Leatherback turtle is a cold-blooded reptile, it swims quickly and has strong abilities. It is omnivorous and lays eggs between May and June each year, with a clutch size of 90-150 eggs. It mainly inhabits the middle to upper layers of tropical waters and is distributed in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean areas.
Chinese name: 棱皮龟
Latin name: Dermochelys coriacea
English name: Leatherback Turtle
Also known as: 革龟、七棱皮龟、舢板龟、燕子龟
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Family: Dermochelyidae
Genus: Dermochelys
Species: Dermochelys coriacea
Distribution: Distributed in warm waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Breeding sites are mostly located between 30° north latitude and 20° south latitude. Occasionally, individuals can follow ocean currents to the north near 70° north latitude, such as Iceland, and to the south near 35° south latitude, such as Uruguay. They are distributed in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Yellow Sea, with records in Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, Liaoning, and other provinces.
Population: Unknown, but has declined sharply from the past and may become extinct within 10 years.
Diet: Mainly feeds on fish, shrimp, crabs, squid, snails, clams, starfish, sea cucumbers, jellyfish with poisonous sting cells, and seaweed. It has no teeth in the mouth, but there are large and sharp keratin spines on the esophageal wall, which can grind food and then digest and absorb it in the stomach and intestines.
The population of leatherback turtles is declining sharply, and one important reason is that they mistake plastic bags discarded in the ocean for jellyfish and eat them, causing intestinal blockages and death. In addition, excessive capture and drowning have led to a decrease in their numbers. From 1990 to 2009, during these past 20 years, due to phenomena such as El Niño causing changes in ocean temperatures, illegal fishing by fishermen, ocean pollution, and local tourism development, the number of leatherback turtles has decreased by about 95%. According to the book "Marine Ecology and Biodiversity of Nanpeng Islands", it is stated that leatherback turtles are likely to become extinct before 2017. The book estimates that the number of female leatherback turtles in the world has decreased from about 115,000 in 1980 to less than 43,000 in 2007.
Playa Grande Beach in Costa Rica is the largest nesting site for leatherback turtles in the Eastern Pacific and the fourth largest in the world. Before 1990, during each nesting season (from October to March of the following year), there were 250 to 1000 leatherback turtles coming ashore to lay eggs. However, during the 2006-2007 nesting season, only 58 leatherback turtles laid eggs here. According to a report in 2010, American animal protectors launched a campaign to save the Pacific leatherback turtles and protect the world's only 2000 to 5700 Pacific leatherback sea turtles. In the waters of Nanpeng Islands, China, leatherback turtles are rarely seen. From 1998 to 2001, the Nan'ao Fishery Administration Squad seized 2 turtles.
On November 8, 1988, at the fourth meeting of the Seventh Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, the "Wild Animal Protection Law of the People's Republic of China" was passed, designating it as a Level II key protected wild animal in China. It was implemented on March 1, 1989. Internationally, many countries have also listed them as protected animals and included them in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). ① By spreading the word, everyone can understand the list of China's Class I and II protected animals and their significance. ② Enforce specific regulations to protect rare animals and prohibit hunting.
1. Orchitis
The excretory hole has a red shadow at the beginning of the onset, which is generally difficult to see at the beginning. When touching the hind limbs and tail with hands, the reaction is slow. In severe cases, it cannot crawl, the excretory hole is loose, and it has an odor.
2. Hepatic disease
In the onset period, the mentality is poor and the actions are slow. In severe cases, the head is drooping and the eyes are sleeping. The liver is severely damaged and is the number one killer, and it must be treated promptly.
3. Respiratory infection
In the early stage, the turtle coughs and secretes lumpy white mucus in the mouth, with a foul-smelling stool. Pneumonia may occur when the temperature is high.
4. Limping
There are two types, one is not swollen; the other is abscess, which can cause necrotic bone, paralysis, and death.
5. Respiratory infection pneumonia
When the turtle opens its mouth, there are small bubbles, and the breathing is obstructed. The turtle has poor mental state, decreased appetite, and slow reaction. In the later stage, when the mouth is open, the neck contracts and there is mucus in the nostrils.
6. Two-way disease closed eyes
It usually occurs in conjunction with other diseases such as pneumonia, orchitis, and hepatic disease. The eye pouch is dry and closed eyes will occur in the near future, with a high mortality rate.
7. Edema
Systemic edema, upper limbs are swollen, and in severe cases, they cannot crawl.
8. Difficult labor
At the beginning of the onset, the excretory hole often contracts. In severe cases, bleeding will occur, leading to genital infection. In the later stage, the genitals are exposed. Prevention is better than treatment.
9. Gastritis
Poor mental state, unable to eat or move in severe cases, foul-smelling stool, and mucus in the excretory hole for a long time.
10. Conjunctivitis
At the beginning, a gray-white ring appears in the middle of the eyeball, and the front limbs are often used to rub the eyes. In severe cases, the center of the fish eyeball collapses, and the eye pouch becomes dry. Failure to treat it in time will cause insomnia.
11. Floating disease
Due to long-term malnutrition, the excretory hole is infected by bacteria. In severe cases, the hind limbs are weak and cannot swim in water, weak body, and float on the water, and finally drown and swell.
12. Deformation
Caused by breeding techniques, it is mainly common in young turtles. The turtle body is fat, with twisted limbs, and the hind limbs are soft when crawling. The dorsal and ventral shells are soft, and there are oblique growth lines in the middle of the ventral shell. The shell grows irregularly, and severe cases will become deformed.
13. Decaying shell disease
This disease is more common in adult turtles. At the beginning, it is localized, and a small amount of pus flows out when pressed by hand on the affected part of the turtle's board. This disease is latent, and if not treated in time, it will locally spread.
14. Decayed neck disease
Mostly caused by biting during mating, more common in female turtles, with lesions on both sides of the neck, which then ulcerate. It needs to be treated seriously.
15. Decayed flesh
The turtle body has existing injuries, and the dead flesh has not been eliminated. Tender flesh grows around the affected area, covering the dead flesh to form decayed flesh, which will affect the health of the turtle.
16. Skin fungal infection
This disease is latent, and at first, gray-white mold spots appear on the eyelids, nostrils, skin, and toes. In severe cases, redness and swelling occur in the chin.
17. Trauma
There are bite marks, redness, and swelling on the turtle's feet, tail, skin, and neck. Abscess may occur in severe cases. It is caused by bacterial infection from self-fighting and scratching the skin, resulting in serious consequences due to failure to be discovered or considered insignificant and not treated in time.
The leatherback turtle, although it does not have teeth, has a large number of spines in its mouth. These hard spines can help tear food apart for digestion and absorption. The leatherback turtle has a huge appetite, and the food can provide enormous energy for its daily movements.
1. Food selection of the leatherback turtle
The leatherback turtle mainly feeds on fish, shrimp, crab, squid, snails, clams, sea stars, sea cucumbers, jellyfish with toxic stinging cells, and seaweed, etc. Its mouth does not have teeth, but there are large and sharp keratinous spines on the inner wall of the esophagus, which can grind the food, and then enter the stomach and intestines for digestion and absorption. The leatherback turtle has poor eyesight. Therefore, they often mistake floating plastic bags or other garbage on the sea surface for jellyfish and consume them, causing intestinal obstruction, resulting in the death of a large number of leatherback turtles due to human-generated white garbage.
2. Temperature regulation of the leatherback turtle
Although it is a ectotherm reptile, leatherback turtles in tropical to polar regions can maintain a body temperature of 25°C in water at 7°C. This is because although its basal metabolic rate is much lower than that of mammals, the insulation volume effect helps to maintain sufficient heat. In warm climate, it increases the blood flow to the limbs to a large extent, thereby greatly increasing its heat loss, that is, a large amount of heat dissipation.
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