Giants of the Sea

Painter06/Pixabay

A leatherback turtle was rescued recently four miles off Tenby, where it had managed to entangle itself in a buoy. It was a big ‘un by all accounts, strong enough to drag the concrete-weighted buoy,  seven metres of rope and a chain and anchor.

Leatherbacks, as a species, have been on the planet for more than 100 million years. They can live for up to 50 years and spend most of their lives in the water. Only females ever come ashore and that is to lay eggs on sandy beaches. They have their name from their soft, leathery shell, unlike other turtles who have a hard, bony shell.

Leatherbacks are the largest of all living turtles growing up to 7ft in length and weighing in at their mightiest, at around 2,000lb. They are the fastest swimming turtles in the world and can manage speeds of up to 22 miles per hour for short periods.

Unfortunately, it seems there are less than 34,000 nesting females left in our oceans, so protecting them is very important.

Leatherbacks are especially fond of jellyfish as food and have developed spines in their throat that help them swallow their prey without the nasty stings we swimmers dread.

These amazing creatures can dive more deeply than any other marine turtles – that can be more than 4,000ft and they can survive in the most extreme icy conditions.

It’s also fascinating that temperature determines their gender. Warmer temperatures when the eggs are incubating produce more females. Cooler temperatures create more males. You can bet that climate change has the potential to skew that outcome.

Leatherbacks  are seen in our coastal waters , so look out for them this summer. You might just spot a giant.