A Cosmopolitan Lifestyle
Leatherbacks migrate hundreds of miles every year. Males never leave the water, but females come back to land for a short time (1.5 hours) to lay eggs. Each female leatherback has the potential to nest up to ten times in one nesting season, and return every 3-4 years for as long as thirty years! No leatherback on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, however, lives long enough to make this kind of contribution to her species. Most Pacific leatherbacks only nest once because they are killed at sea.

A Life in Peril
Adult leatherbacks have few natural predators, but hatchlings are a favorite prey of many animals from the time they hatch on the beach until they are grown. Their species has survived for millions of years, so why are they declining now? The answer is humans. Humans are the greatest danger that leatherbacks face. Untold numbers of adult leatherbacks die each year from drowning in fishing nets or on fishing lines. More acres of nesting beaches are lost every year to development for the tourist industry or for private residences. Eggs are stolen from nests to be sold on the black market as aphrodisiacs. Pollution can affect both adults and turtles in the egg. Scientists estimate that only 1 in 1000 leatherback hatchlings survive to adulthood.

Knowledge is Power
Scientists come to Costa Rica from all over the world to study the leatherback. They hope that knowledge of its biology, nesting habits, and early development will give us all the tools we need to preserve this national treasure. A management program built on a foundation of scientific information may be the answer to the complex problems that leatherbacks face in today's world.

Did you know?

• a leatherback's favorite food is jellyfish. They even have a special notch in their beak to help puncture the man-o-war jellyfish.
• leatherbacks in Costa Rica lay two kinds of eggs: yolked and yolkless
• the temperature in the nest determines if a hatchling will be a boy or a girl
• a leatherback's shell is covered by a leathery skin
• the "tears" that turtles "cry" are just their way of shedding excess salt

Be a Friend to the Leatherback

DO NOT:

• drive or walk on the beach above the high tide line- this crushes eggs and hatchlings in the nest!
• walk on the beach at night- this scares turtles away
• walk/stand in front of turtle
• plant anything on the beach or dunes
• use lights on the beach
• use flash photography or video around a turtle
• buy products made from turtles

DO:

• speak very softly if near a turtle
• use red lights instead of white on the exterior of your house if it is visible from the beach
• tell a park official if you see any practices that may be harmful to turtles
• appreciate this fascinating animal
• share your knowledge of leatherbacks with others

Leatherback Images

View a series of Leatherback images taken by Nature & Wildlife photographer, Herb Segars.

Mr. Segars explains how he came to take these amazing photos:
"The photos were taken a few years ago off North Carolina. The turtle had been caught in a longliner's line and was cut free but still had the float attached. I was with a group of divers on a boat out of Cape Hatteras. We got into the water when the longliner's line became fouled in the boat's prop. It happened accidentally when the turtle went under and came up very close to the boat. One of our members was able to get right up to the turtle and cut the line. His first try scared him as he got close and saw the size of the head on the turtle. What happened next was great. The turtle took a stroke with her fins and stopped, waiting for the pull of the bouy. When it didn't feel anything, it took another stroke and stopped. Feeling no resistance, it started swimming away. We all hoped that the damage to its body healed after the float and lined were removed."