and is scaleless. The undersurface is mottled pinkish-white and black. The front flippers are 

 proportionally longer than in any other sea turtle, and may span 270 cm in an adult. Adult males 

 are distinguished by a long, thick tail that extends well beyond the posterior carapace margin. 



The leatherbacks diet consists of soft-bodied animals such as cnidarians. tunicates and jellyfish. 

 In both adults and hatchlings. the upper Jaw bears two tooth-like projections at the premaxillary- 

 maxillary sutures. Hatchlings are dorsally mostly black and are covered with tiny scales; the 

 flippers are margined in white, and rows of white scales appear as stripes along the length of the 

 back. Hatchlings average 61 .3 mm long and 45.8 g in weight. 



Leatherbacks have the most extensive range of any reptile and exhibit broad thermal tolerances. 

 Preferred nesting beaches have deep and unobstructed offshore access. Nesting is generally 

 nocturnal and mating typically occurs prior to or during migration to the nesting ground. The 

 nesting season commences in March and continues into July. Females renest on average every 9 

 to 1 days and deposit an average of 5 to 7 nests per annum. Age at sexual maturity is unknown. 



SPECIES DISTRIBUTION 



The leatherback is found throughout the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, from s far north as 

 Labrador and Alaska to as far south as Chile, the Cape of Good Hope, and the southern end of 

 New Zealand. In the western north Atlantic, the leatherback" s range extends from Cape Sable, 

 Nova Scotia, south to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Adults engage in routine 

 migrations as far as 5.000 kilometers between temperate and tropical waters, presumably to 

 optimize both foraging and nesting opportunities. 



Nesting grounds are distributed circumglobally. with the Pacific coast of Mexico supporting the 

 world's largest known colony of nesting leatherbacks. In the U.S., St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands 

 and Culebra. Puerto Rico support the largest nesting colonies. 



Leatherbacks are commonly seen by fishermen in Hawaiian offshore waters, generally beyond 

 the lOO-fathom curve but within sight of land. Sightings often take place off the north coast of 

 Oahu and the Kona coast of Hawaii. North of the Hawaiian Islands, a high seas aggregation of 

 leatherbacks is known to occur at 35°-45°N. 175°-180°W. Nesting occurs along the Atlantic 

 coast of Florida, but nesting north of Florida is rare. No nesting is reported from areas under 

 U.S. jurisdiction in the Pacific. 



Critical Habitat 



Critical habitat for the leatherback includes the waters adjacent to Sandy Point. St. Croix, U.S. 

 Virgin Islands, up to and inclusive of the waters from the hundred fathom curve shoreward to the 

 level of mean high tide with boundaries at 17°42T2" N and 64°50'00" W. 



MAJOR IMPACTS 



Impacts in the nesting environment 



There is virtually no international commerce in leatherback turtle products. Nonetheless, local 

 commercial and subsistence exploitation is heavy in many parts of the world. In the western 

 Atlantic, leatherbacks are occasionally taken for both meat and oil. In addition, the poaching of 

 eggs from nests continues at low levels in the U.S. Virgin Islands and in Puerto Rico. 



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