80 
Gilbert S. Grant and Danny Ferrell 
eat the tethered bluefish ( Pomatomus saltatrix), spots ( Leiostomus 
canthurus ), or menhaden ( Brevoortia tyrannus). 
Cobia are known to swim in proximity to sea turtles, sharks, 
and large rays (Manooch and Raver 1984). We do not know if the 
cobia benefit from this association by scavenging on food scraps or 
by gaining hydrodynamic advantages. Cobia tend to be found most 
commonly around sea buoys and other floating shelters (Robins et 
al. 1986). Perhaps the association of cobia with swimming leather- 
backs is simply the result of cobia seeking their preferred habitat. 
Penhallurick (1991) reported remoras ( Remora remora ) and pilot fish 
(Naucrates ductor ) swimming alongside leatherback turtles off Great 
Britain. 
CONCLUSIONS 
Leatherback turtles were observed feeding on cabbagehead jel- 
lyfish at North Topsail Beach, North Carolina during May and early 
June 1990 and 1991. Jellyfish populations were high, and the turtles 
might be following the jellyfish bloom northward during this pe- 
riod. Leatherback turtles should be looked for whenever jellyfish 
populations are high. The association of cobia with the swimming 
leatherbacks also warrants further study. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS— Viz thank Anna L. Bass, Alvin L. 
Braswell, and David S. Lee for reviewing this manuscript. This 
paper is dedicated to the memory of Karen Beasley whose concern 
for and interest in sea turtles was contagious. 
LITERATURE CITED 
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eastern Canada. Canadian Field Naturalist 79:120-128. 
Bustard, R. 1973. Sea turtles: their natural history and conservation. 
Taplinger Publishing Company, New York, New York. 
Collard, S. B. 1990. Leatherback turtles feeding near a water mass 
boundary in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Marine Turtle Newsletter 
50:12-14. 
Eckert, S. A. 1992. Bound for deep water. Natural History 1992:29-35. 
Eckert, S. A., K. L. Eckert, P. Ponganis, and G. L. Kooyman. 1989. 
Diving and foraging behavior of leatherback sea turtles (. Dermochelys 
coriacea ). Canadian Journal Zoology 67:2834-2840. 
Eisenberg, J. F., and J. Frazier. 1983. A leatherback turtle (Dermochelys 
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