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Project Noah Nature School
Dermochelys coriacea
The biggest of all sea turtles, up to 900 kg. Leathery black carapace, with 5 dorsal ridges and a lot of white dots.
In all tropical seas, but endangered. The females come ashore at night to lay eggs, on the same beach where they hatched years ago.
This female came ashore on the beach of Les Hattes, French Guiana, in June 1997. That night we were attacked by hundreds of mosquitos, but seeing all those great creatures emerging from the sea and plowing through the sand, really was worth our while! Unforgettable.
Spotted on Feb 14, 2012
Submitted on Feb 14, 2012
2 Comments
Wow! wonderful
This very interesting species is the only turtle with no shell; "Perhaps the most notable characteristic of Dermochelys coriacea is its distinctive carapace structure. Leatherbacks have lost the shell bones and keratinous scutes that comprise the shells of most turtles." http://www.digimorph.org/specimens/Dermo...