These devoured plastic bags can kill the leatherback turtles through either malabsorption or intestinal blockage. The most damaging impact has been the introduction of discarded plastic, especially disposable plastic shopping bags, into the ocean environment.īecause leatherback turtles mostly eat soft food, they mistake the floating plastic bags for jellyfish, the primary staple of their diet. They also have become entangled in the ropes of lobster pots. Rising chemical pollution levels in the ocean has led researchers to find high levels of phthalates in the yokes of their eggs. Unfortunately, many other environmental changes caused by people have had negative impacts on leatherback turtles. Climate Change & Global Warmingīecause leatherback turtles can adapt to a wide variety of climates, changing temperatures themselves are unlikely to have a devastating impact on these turtles. However, if, when they hatch, there are artificial sources of light present, they may be attracted to those instead, meaning they never find the ocean. When they are born, they are drawn towards light, because normally the light they would see would be over the horizon, as opposed to dark forests or hills away from the sea. In addition to these threats, light pollution can also be fatal for young leatherback hatchlings. However, people are more likely to collect their eggs for food, as people sometimes consider sea turtle eggs a rare delicacy, especially in Asia. Human ThreatsĪlthough humans rarely intentionally hunt leatherback turtles, they often end up as the unfortunate recipient of harm from people.Īlthough fewer leatherbacks are injured by people than other sea turtles, many are struck by boats as they swim up near the surface for breath.Įven though people do not eat leatherback turtles, some are hunted and used as feed for subsistence fisheries. However, many conservationists worry about leatherback turtles, as estimates suggest that only one out of every thousand hatchlings reaches maturity. The leatherback turtle faces an array of threats, most of them coming from people or the by-products of human activities, rather than other animals. Climate change is also affecting this species by causing shifts in ocean currents that interfere with migration patterns or make conditions unsuitable for nesting sites.Researchers are often surprised by their diets because leatherback turtles are large and active animals, and jellyfish are not a substantial source of calories or nutrition.īecause jellyfish are mostly made of water, they typically only contain a few grams of protein and provide the predator with a limited amount of calories.Įven the largest jellyfish only provide the turtle with approximately one hundred calories, and because leatherback turtles are so large, they have to eat a lot of jellyfish to meet their caloric needs. In addition to being hunted by humans, Leatherbacks also suffer from incidental capture in fisheries as well as habitat loss due to coastal development projects that destroy nesting beaches or pollute coastal waters with chemicals or trash. As a result, leatherback turtles face tremendous pressure from both legal and illegal egg harvesting operations. In some areas of the world, their eggs are considered a delicacy and can fetch a high price on the black market. Leatherbacks are endangered because they are hunted for their meat, eggs, and shells. These unique characteristics make them one of the most fascinating creatures in our planet’s waters – but also put them at great risk. They are found in all oceans except for the Arctic and Antarctic, and often travel thousands of miles between nesting and feeding grounds. The leatherback sea turtle is is one of the most migratory animals on Earth.
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