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| PACIFIC LEATHERBACK FACT SHEETStatus: Under the Endangered Species Act, the leatherback is classified as endangered throughout its entire range. Reference: Federal Register , June 2, 1970. On the global level, leatherbacks are at a high risk of extinction due to their restricted range, the existence of 20 populations or less, and a steep decline in the general population. In Hawaii, leatherbacks are classified as critically imperiled and highly vulnerable to extinction due to extreme rarity (the existence of 5 populations or less). Reference: NatureServe . 2004. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 4.0. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer (Accessed: October 16, 2004 ). Scientists have estimated that leatherbacks could be extinct within 10 to 15 years based on current levels of decline. Since August 2002, more than 600 scientists and 100 organizations have asked the UN to declare a moratorium on pelagic longline and gillnet fishing in the Pacific to protect endangered sea turtles and other marine species. Reference: Sea Turtle Restoration Project , http://www.seaturtles.org/press_release2.cfm?pressID=162 (Accessed: 10/16/2004). Leatherbacks have graced the ocean since the time of the dinosaur, over 100 million years ago. Recently, the Pacific leatherback populations have rapidly declined by 97% from 91,000 in 1982 to under 3,000 by current estimations. Scientists also estimate that the population off of the Americas is experiencing a 33% mortality rate per year. Reference: Conservation International , http://www.conservation.org/xp/news/press_releases/2004/022604.xml (Accessed: 10/16/2004). Description: Distinguished by a black, ridged, rubber-like carapace, the leatherback is the largest living turtle weighing up to 2000 pounds and growing up to 8 feet long. Reference: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , North Florida Field Office, http://northflorida.fws.gov/SeaTurtles/Turtle Factsheets/leatherback-sea-turtle.htm , current as of June 17, 2004. The front flippers can reach spans up to 270 cm (approx. 9 feet), larger than any other sea turtle. Reference: National Marine Fisheries Service , NOAA Fisheries, Office of Protected Resources, http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/prot_res/species/turtles/leatherback.html (Accessed: 10/07/2004). Leatherbacks prefer to eat jellyfish but will also eat other invertebrates, fishes, and seaweed. Reference: NatureServe . 2004. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 4.0. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer (Accessed: October 16, 2004 ). Distribution and Range: The leatherback can be found in subtropical and tropical waters worldwide and has been recorded in waters as far north as British Columbia, Newfoundland, and the British Isles and as far south as Australia, Cape of Good Hope, and Argentina. Nesting populations can be found in Mexico, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Colombia, West Papua, Indonesia, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Florida. Reference: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , North Florida Field Office, http://northflorida.fws.gov/SeaTurtles/Turtle Factsheets/leatherback-sea-turtle.htm , current as of June 17, 2004. Reproduction: In the western hemisphere, night time nesting usually occurs between March and August. Every 2 to 3 years, a mature female can lay an average of 5 to 10 nests in a single nesting season at intervals of 1 to 2 weeks with an average of 50 to 170 eggs per nest. Eggs hatch in approximately 8 to 10 weeks. Reference: NatureServe . 2004. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 4.0. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer (Accessed: October 16, 2004 ). Threats: High mortality rates for eggs and hatchlings are due to predation and human egg collection. Adult mortality rates are greatest due to commercial fishing and ingestion of floating ocean pollutants. Major threats include egg collecting by humans, destruction of nesting habitats, longline and gillnet fishing, beach erosion, ingestion of plastics, boat collisions, entanglement in fishing gear, ocean pollution, beach development and illumination. Reference: NatureServe . 2004. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 4.0. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer (Accessed: October 16, 2004 ). Helpful Resources and Articles: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Leatherback Sea Turtle, http://endangered.fws.gov/i/C0D.html U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, North Florida Field Office, http://northflorida.fws.gov/SeaTurtles/Turtle Factsheets/leatherback-sea-turtle.htm National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA Fisheries, Office of Protected Resources, http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/prot_res/species/turtles/leatherback.html NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life, http://www.natureserve.org/explorer Sea Turtle Restoration Project, http://www.seaturtles.org Conservation International, http://www.conservation.org Leatherback Trust, http://www.leatherback.org "Are Leatherbacks Doomed to Extinction?", Frank V. Paladino, http://users.ipfw.edu/paladino/default.htm "Pacific Leatherback Turtles Face Extinction", Nature, vol. 45, June 2000, http://www.seaturtles.org/pdf/Nature_leatherback_article.pdf "Leatherback Turtles Near Extinction, Experts Say", National Geographic News, February 24, 2003, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/02/0224_030224_seaturtles.html "New Marine Conservation Area to Span Four Nations", National Geographic News, February 26, 2004, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/02/0226_040226_oceanpark.html | |||||||||||||||||
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