EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Leatherback sea turtles can be distinguished from other species of sea turtle by its lack of a hard shell or scales. Instead, leatherbacks are covered with a firm, rubbery skin.

Detailed explanation-2: -The leatherback sea turtle is the largest turtle in the world. They are the only species of sea turtle that lack scales and a hard shell. They are named for their tough rubbery skin and have existed in their current form since the age of the dinosaurs.

Detailed explanation-3: -The largest living species is the leatherback sea turtle, which is generally found in the tropics but can occasionally venture as far north as Norway. The animals commonly reach around two metres in length, but one specimen held in the National Museum Cardiff approaches three metres long.

Detailed explanation-4: -The largest turtle ever recorded is a leatherback that was washed ashore on a beach in Wales, UK in 1988 having become tangled in fishing nets. It was over nine feet in length and weighed over 2, 019 pounds. Experts estimated that it was around 100 years old and its body is on display in a museum.

Detailed explanation-5: -Leatherbacks average six feet (1.8 meters) in length and a weight range of 500 to 1, 500 pounds (226.8-680.4 kilograms) (Stewart and Johnson 2006). The leatherback sea turtle is the largest turtle in the world (NMFS and USFWS 1992).