Leatherback sea turtle: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the leatherback sea turtle lives – recorded in 1 country, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Dermochelys coriacea
Group	Turtles & tortoises
Status	Vulnerable (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	1 country
Continents	South America
Class	Reptile
Order	Testudines
Family	Dermochelyidae

Where does the leatherback sea turtle live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the leatherback sea turtle in 1 country or territory across South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Pará.

Brazil

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the leatherback sea turtle endangered?

The leatherback sea turtle’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Vulnerable” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the leatherback sea turtle?

The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is a reptile in the order Testudines and the family Dermochelyidae, genus Dermochelys. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the leatherback sea turtle

The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), sometimes called the lute turtle, leathery turtle or simply the luth, is a large species of sea turtle. The largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, it reaches lengths of up to 2.7 metres (8 ft 10 in) and weights of 500 kilograms (1,100 lb). It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys and family Dermochelyidae. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell; instead, its carapace is covered by oily flesh and flexible, leather-like skin, for which it is named. Leatherback turtles have a global range, although there are multiple distinct subpopulations. The species as a whole is considered vulnerable, and some of its subpopulations are critically endangered.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Leatherback sea turtle (revision 1379959082), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q120043 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).