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The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), sometimes called the lute turtle, leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to 2.7 metres (8 ft 10 in) and weights of 500 kilograms (1,100 lb).
Dermochelyidae is a family of sea turtles which has seven extinct genera and one extant genus, containing one living species, the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). The oldest fossils of the group date to the Late Cretaceous .
Some tiny turtles may never grow more than 1.5in long, while the humungous leatherback turtle can reach lengths of up to 8ft 10 long and weigh 1,100lb. Most pet turtles are around 5–12in long. 21.
The common snapping turtle walks 5 km (3 mi) on land, while sea turtles travel even further; the leatherback swims some 12,000 km (7,500 mi) to its nesting beaches. [ 13 ] [ 89 ] Most turtles create a nest for their eggs.
The 79 nests laid in Broward County this year is nearly double the previous record.
However, leatherback sea turtles (family Dermochelyidae) are able to maintain a body temperature 8 °C (14 °F) warmer than the ambient water by thermoregulation through the trait of gigantothermy. [54] [55] Green sea turtles in the relatively cooler Pacific are known to haul themselves out of the water on remote islands to bask in the sun. [56]
Most sea turtles lay their eggs at night, but a Palm Beach woman was in the right place at the right time, saw a leatherback turtle do it during the day. "Like winning the lottery."
Point Denis is a major breeding ground for the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Between 1 800 and 2 000 nests are laid annually on its beaches. Recent studies by Dr Sharon Deem, formerly of the Wildlife Conservation Society, note that the worldwide turtle population is being threatened by man's activities. [1]