Turtles
Leatherback Turtle
Dermochelys coriacea · Marine reptile — family Dermochelyidae
The leatherback barely seems like a turtle at all. There is no hard shell — just a ridged carapace of black, leathery skin flecked with white, streamlined like a seed pod, hung with the longest front flippers in the family. It is a deep-ocean animal on a jellyfish economy, warm-blooded enough in practice to cruise off Nova Scotia and Norway, and it crosses entire oceans between nesting beaches and feeding grounds. Divers almost never meet one by design; the realistic encounter is a nesting female — an armored rowboat heaving up a tropical beach by night — or a heart-stopping pass in open water during a baitball season. List it among the ocean's privileges, not its itineraries.
Waar en wanneer je er een kunt zien
"Resident" betekent dat je ze bij de meeste duiken op die bestemming tegenkomt; "seizoensgebonden" betekent betrouwbaar aanwezig in de vermelde maanden; al het andere is een bonus, geen garantie.
| Bestemming | Betrouwbaarheid | Maanden | Notities |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrenadaGrenada | Rare | Apr–Jul | |
| Sodwana BaySouth Africa | Rare | Nov–Jan | |
| The Sardine Run (Wild Coast)South Africa | Rare | Jun–Jul | |
| DominicaDominica | Rare | Mar–Jul |
Beste maand, in één oogopslag
| Maand | Betrouwbare bestemmingen |
|---|---|
| January | Sodwana Bay |
| March | Dominica |
| April | Grenada · Dominica |
| May | Grenada · Dominica |
| June | Grenada · The Sardine Run (Wild Coast) · Dominica |
| July | Grenada · The Sardine Run (Wild Coast) · Dominica |
| November | Sodwana Bay |
| December | Sodwana Bay |
Ze begrijpen
Habitat: The open ocean — a pelagic wanderer that dives past 1,000 m for jellyfish and comes ashore only to nest
Verspreidingsgebied: The widest range of any reptile, from tropical nesting beaches to sub-polar feeding grounds in both hemispheres
Gedrag: A warm-bodied ocean nomad — gigantothermy and specialized circulation let it hunt jellyfish in cold, deep water no other turtle tolerates. It almost never lingers where divers are; encounters are brief, awe-struck crossings in blue water or the regulated privilege of watching a female nest at night.
Dieet: Jellyfish and other gelatinous animals almost exclusively, swallowed past backward-pointing throat spines
Grootte: doorgaans rond 1.5 m; gedocumenteerd tot 1.8 m (carapace length; the largest turtle alive, commonly 300–500 kg, with exceptional individuals larger still).
Hoe je je ertegenover gedraagt
In-water: keep distance and never touch or impede — it will not stop for you anyway. On nesting beaches: permitted guided tours only, red or no lights, no flash, stay behind the guide, and never handle eggs or hatchlings.
Behoud
Vulnerable globally with Pacific subpopulations in severe decline; egg harvest, longline bycatch, and plastic bags mistaken for jellyfish are the persistent killers. Beach protection in the Atlantic has produced real recoveries.
Bekijk
Via de officiële kanalen
Best Places to Dive with Whale Sharks
Outrageously Tiny Fish
Sink or Swim? with Monét X Change | Monterey Bay Aquarium
Video's zijn ingesloten links naar de kanalen van de makers zelf — wij hosten niets en vermelden altijd de bron.