Notes on the capture of a rare Leathery 



Turtle {Dertnochelys coriacea) in 



Johore waters. 



C. Boden Kloss, f.z.s. 



Whilst residing at Johore Bahru in 1905 a specimen of 

 ohe rare Leathery Turtle {Dermochtlys coriacea, L,) was 

 brought to me by Malay fishermen who had found the reptile 

 entangled in their fishing stakes at Kaifipong Batu Jawa in the 

 Johore Strait on March 1 1th of that year. 



According to their account of its capture, for several days 

 previously, the screens and nets of their kelong had been 

 broken and torn by some unknown agency that at length, at 

 day-break of that morning, proved to be an immense turtle of 

 a kind unknown to them which had entangled itself beyond 

 escape in the material of the damaged fish-trap. For a time 

 they were at a loss to know how to dispose of their unwieldy 

 capture, but finally brought out a large lighter which, filling 

 with water, they sank beneath the turtle ; then by baling out 

 the water, the latter was soon reposing on the bottom of the 

 dry boat, where unfortunately it shortly expired and was left 

 exposed to the heat of the sun's rays until it reached me at 

 three o'clock in the afternoon. 



Getting it ashore was an operation of some difficulty for 

 it was impossible to grip the creature in any way, and it was 

 not until I had collected a gang of ten Chinese coolies fur- 

 nished with poles and ropes that it was finally lifted from the 

 boat and up the steps of the sea-wall. 



The weight of this turtle — a male — I estimated as be- 

 tween nine hundred and one thousand pounds and the principal 

 measurements taken were as follows. 

 Total length in straight line from tip of 



head to tip of tail ... ... ... 234 cms. (7 ft. 8 in.) 



Extreme breadth of carapace ... ... 84 ,, (2 ft. 9 in.) 



,, ,, between tips of extend- 

 ed flippers ... ... 240 „ (7 ft. 10 in, 



Jour. (Straits Branch B. A. Soc, No. 49, 1907. 



