LEATHERBACK TURTLE

SCIENTIFIC NAME :-      Dermochelys coriacea

OCCURRENCE :-             World wide , usually in warm seas

HABITAT :-                    Oceanic

SIZE :-                           Length 155 cm

FAMILY :-                      Dermo chelyidae

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS :-

1. It is the worlds largest turtle weighing upto 500 kg.
2. The carapace resembles hard rubber and has three longitudinal ridges.
3. Its foreclippers are extremely long with a span of about 2.7 m and it has no horny shields on its shell , no scales and no claws.
4. It feeds mainly on jellyfish.
5. They perform long migrations between nesting and feeding sites.
6. The female lays several clutches of 80-100 eggs in a season at a interval of 10 days