Leatherback turtle  (Dermochelys coriacea)

Authentication

Authenticated (10/07/02) by Matthew Godfrey, Sea Turtle Program Coordinator, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

Glossary

Bycatch: In the fishing industry, the part of the catch made up of non-target species.
Carapace: The top shell of a turtle. In arthropods (insects, crabs etc), the fused head and thorax (the part of the body located near the head) also known as ‘cephalothorax'.
Pelagic: Inhabits the open oceans.

References

  1. IUCN Red List (March, 2008)
    http://www.iucnredlist.org
  2. Fretey, J. and Lescure, J. (1998) Les tortues marines en Guyane Francaise: bilan de vingt ans de recherche et de conservation. JATBA, Revue d'Ethnobiologie, 40: 219 - 238.
  3. CITES (March, 2008)
    http://www.cites.org
  4. Global Register of Migratory Species (March, 2008)
    http://www.groms.de
  5. Eckert, K.L. and Luginbuhl, C. (1988) Death of a giant. Marine Turtle Newsletter, 43: 2 - 3.
  6. McDonald, D., Dutton, P.H., Bradner, R. and Basford, S. (1996) Use of pineal spot ('pink spot') photographs to identify leatherback turtles. Herpetological Review, 27: 11 - 12.
  7. Hughes, G.R., Luschi, P., Menacci, R. and Papi, F. (1998) The 7000-km oceanic journey of a leatherback turtle tracked by satellite. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 229: 209 - 217.
  8. Fretey, J., Dontaine, J. and Neves, O. (1999) Sao Tome et Principe: zone de croissance pour les tortues-luths?. Canopee, 0: 1 - 2.
  9. James, M.C. and Herman, T.B. (2001) Feeding of Dermochelys coriacea on medusae in the northwest Atlantic. Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 4: 202 - 205.
  10. Paladino, F.V., O'Connor, M.P. and Spotila, J.R. (1990) Metabolism of leatherback turtles, gigantothermy, and thermoregulation of dinosaurs. Nature, 344: 858 - 860.
  11. Eckert, S.A., Eckert, K.L., Ponganis, P. and Kooyman, G.L. (1989) Diving and foraging behavior of leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea). Canadian Journal of Zoology, 67: 2834 - 2840.
  12. Rimblot, F., Fretey, J., Mrosovsky, N., Lescure, J. and Pieau, C. (1985) Sexual differentiation as a function of the incubation temperature of eggs in the sea-turtle Dermochely coriacea (Vandelli, 1761). Amphibia-Reptilia, 6: 83 - 92.
  13. Spotila, J.R., Reina, R.D., Steyermark, A.C., Plotkin, P.T. and Paladino, F.V. (2000) Pacific leatherback faces extinction. Nature, 405: 529 - 530.
  14. WCMC Species Sheets (March, 2008)
    http://www.unep-wcmc.org/species/data/species_sheets/leatherb.htm