The leatherback is the largest living turtle and is so distinctive
that it is placed in its own separate family, Dermochelys.
All other sea turtles have bony hard plates on their shells (carapace).
The leatherback's carapace is slightly flexible and has a rubbery
texture. No sharp angle is formed between the carapace and the
under-belly (plastron) so a leatherback is somewhat barrel-shaped.
Many can grow to be bigger than one too.
The front flippers of a leatherback are longer than in the other
marine turtles, even when you take the leatherback's size into
account. They can reach 270 cm in adult leatherbacks.
Leatherback hatchlings look mostly black when you are glancing
down on them, and their flippers are margined in white. Rows of
white scales give hatchling leatherbacks the white striping that
runs down the length of their backs.
Of considerable interest is that the core body temperature of
adults in cold water has been shown to be several degrees Centigrade
above the surrounding water. This allows leatherbacks to prosper
in ocean regions where other marine reptiles cannot. Fellow Canadian
Michael James of Dalhousie University has been training fishermen
in eastern Canada to spot leatherbacks, resulting in numerous
sightings and an increased awareness that sea turtles inhabit
Canadian waters too.
