Leatherback

About this species

The leatherback sea turtle, 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 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 from the Wikipedia article “Leatherback sea turtle”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 438 records
February: 1,248 records
March: 1,201 records
April: 855 records
May: 1,030 records
June: 952 records
July: 1,377 records
August: 1,356 records
September: 839 records
October: 607 records
November: 354 records
December: 343 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 9–120 m · Deepest record: 360 m

0–10 m: 289 records
10–20 m: 383 records
20–30 m: 369 records
30–40 m: 154 records
40–50 m: 111 records
50–60 m: 36 records
60–70 m: 287 records
70–80 m: 228 records
80–90 m: 26 records
90–100 m: 48 records
100–110 m: 41 records
110+ m: 319 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 9–28 °C

8–10 °C: 8 records
10–12 °C: 48 records
12–14 °C: 62 records
14–16 °C: 27 records
16–18 °C: 42 records
18–20 °C: 44 records
20–22 °C: 36 records
22–24 °C: 45 records
24–26 °C: 61 records
26–28 °C: 52 records
28–30 °C: 4 records

Photos

(c) Pam Kleinsasser, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Jake McCumber, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Bill Levine, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Andre Hosper, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) James H, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) RJ Baltierra, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

Names and classification

English: Leatherback, Leatherback sea turtle, Leatherback turtle, Leathery turtle, Blue Sea Turtle, Coffin-back, Coffin-back Turtle, Coffinback Turtle, leatherback, leatherback sea turtle, Leatherback Seaturtle, Leatherback Sea Turtle, leatherback turtle, Leather-back Turtle, Leatherback Turtle, leathery turtle, Leathery Turtle, Luth, Luth Turtle, Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle, Pacific leatherback turtle, Tinglar, Trunkback Turtle, Trunk Turtle

Names in 8 more languages

German: Lederschildkröte
Spanish: Baula, Canal, Cardon, Dorso de Cuero, Galapagos, Laúd, Siete Lomos, Siete Quillas, Tinglada, Tinglar, Tora, Tortuga Baula, Tortuga Caná, tortuga laud, tortuga laúd, Tortuga Laúd, Tortuga-marina laúd, Tortuga Siete Quilhas, Tortuga Tinglar
French: tortue luth, Tortue Luth, Tortue luth (La)
Indonesian: Penyu Belimbing
Japanese: オサガメ
Korean: 장수거북
Thai: เต่ามะเฟือง, เต่าเหลี่ยม
Simplified Chinese: 棱皮龜, 棱皮龟, 稜皮龜, 革龜

Other scientific names: Sphargis coriacea, Testudo coriacea

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
12,414 open-data records from 1761 to 2026.
Species data updated November 2, 2026.