Discover Earth's Largest and Most Ancient Sea Turtles
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Leatherback Turtles: Earth's Largest, Oldest Deep-Diving Reptiles Face Threats
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News18•06-03-2026, 11:33
Leatherback Turtles: Earth's Largest, Oldest Deep-Diving Reptiles Face Threats
•Leatherback turtles are the largest and one of the oldest sea turtle species, known for their unique leathery shell instead of a hard one.
•They can regulate their body temperature, allowing them to thrive in cold waters and make deep dives up to 1,200 meters, unlike most other reptiles.
•Their primary diet consists of massive amounts of jellyfish, which they consume using inward-pointing throat papillae, a feature that also makes plastic ingestion dangerous.
•These highly migratory turtles travel thousands of kilometers between feeding grounds (like UK waters) and breeding areas (e.g., Gabon, Florida).
•Despite their size, they face threats from fishing gear, coastal development, pollution, and predators, impacting their survival from hatchlings to adults.
