Leatherback Sea Turtle Research Paper

Name: The common name of the organism I have chosen is known as the Leatherback sea turtle. It is also referred to as the leathery turtle, lute turtle, or the trunkback turtle. The scientific name for the Leatherback sea turtle is Dermochelys Coriacea. Dermochelys is the Greek word for skin and turtle. More specifically, skin is derived from the word dermos and turtle comes from chelys. Coriacea is from the Latin corium meaning leather. The Leatherback sea turtle got its name because it is insufficient of the typical hard boney plates on the top of a turtles’ shell.

Description: The Leatherback sea turtle is the largest of all living turtles. Leatherbacks are about 5-8 feet in length and 500-2000 pounds in weight. They are also known for their deepest dives among all sea turtles (Jones 1013). These turtles outlived the great extinction that killed the dinosaurs over 70 million years ago. The flexible, elongated shell is somewhat shaped like a barrel. It is fully covered by a rubbery skin that is tough. On the shell, you will find 7 recognizable longitudinal ridges (Pritchard 8). The ridges come together to create a sharp point at the back end of this reptiles’ shell. These ridges are recognizable because most sea turtles have
The upper jaw has 2 teeth like extensions with deep points (Pritchard 8). The eyelids of a Dermochelys Coriacea are designed to look like vertical slits when the eyes are closed. The eyes give the illusion of disappearing deep into their sockets when being closed. Leatherback sea turtles have a well-developed nuchal bone. This bone is very important because it is the root of numerous muscles in the neck and shoulders (Pritchard 8). With that being said, this species of turtle doesn’t have any pleural bones. The absence of these bones free the ribs from the boney and rigid connections, making them buried under the cartilage layer. The movement of the ribs is restricted because of this cartilage