Leatherback Turtle
Leatherback Turtle
Reptile
The biggest sea turtle of all, with a leathery shell, diving deeper than any other reptile as it chases jellyfish across the oceans.
💡 Fun Facts
- It is the deepest-diving reptile, plunging to around 1,280 metres in search of food.
- Each year it swims one of the longest journeys of any reptile — roughly 18,000 kilometres across the open ocean.
- Big enough to keep itself warmer than the sea around it, it follows jellyfish all the way into British and Irish waters in summer.
Name Story
Dermochelys coriacea
means “the leathery skin-turtle”
What does its name mean?
- Dermochelys — skin-turtle — it has a leathery skin-covered shell, not hard scutesGreek derma 'skin' + chelys 'turtle'
- coriacea — leatheryLatin corium 'leather, hide'
Both names describe its unusual shell: this is the 'skin-turtle' with a 'leathery' back, covered in tough rubbery skin instead of the hard plates other turtles wear.