The female leatherback sea turtle can lay clutches of up to 90 eggs several times during the nesting season! Learn more about this incredible animal

The Northwest Atlantic subpopulation of Leatherback Sea Turtles ranges throughout the North Atlantic Ocean, spanning from low latitude nesting beaches to northern foraging areas reaching approximately 50°N. The most recent assessment of this subpopulation, conducted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), estimated the number of mature individuals to be between 29,000 and 34,000. The trend for this subpopulation appears to be increasing; however, globally, the species is in decline. Over 1,000 Leatherback Sea Turtles are thought to visit Atlantic Canada each year to feed. While in Atlantic Canada, these animals have been recorded in waters as shallow as 2 m and as deep as 5,000 m. The vast majority of sightings occur within the 200-m isobath. (Updated 2017/05/16)

Leatherback Sea Turtles are found in the temperate, subtropical and tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. They are migratory animals, with adults travelling up to 18,000 km each year between their tropical or subtropical nesting beaches and temperate feeding areas. Atlantic Canada hosts one of the highest densities of foraging Leatherback Sea Turtles in the North Atlantic during the summer, in large part due to a predictable abundance of jellyfish prey. When in Canada, Leatherbacks can be found in coastal, shelf and offshore waters. They spend the majority of their time within the photic zone (the sunlit depths) when foraging; however, the species is capable of diving to much greater depths, mostly within 300 m of the surface. Infrequent deeper dives of up to 1.2 km have also been recorded. (Updated 2017/05/16)

Leatherback Sea Turtles spend most of their lives at sea, but adult females come ashore to lay their eggs on tropical or subtropical beaches. Age at sexual maturity is currently uncertain. An adult female can lay between 60 and 90 eggs at a time and may nest up to 10 times a season. Viable eggs begin to hatch following a 2-month incubation period. Due to a variety of factors, including predation, a very small percentage of hatchlings survive their first year. Leatherback Sea Turtles feed primarily on gelatinous organisms such as jellyfish, comb jellies and, to a lesser extent, tunicates. Leatherbacks exhibit several adaptations for their diet, including a sharp-edged beak and backward-pointing spines in the throat and esophagus that likely assist in swallowing slippery prey. In Atlantic Canada, the most common prey is Lion’s Mane Jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) and, to a lesser extent, Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita). Leatherbacks can maintain core body temperatures up to 18°C warmer than the surrounding water, enabling them to survive in water that is much too cold for other marine turtles. It is thought that the large size of Leatherback Sea Turtles, coupled with several physiological and behavioural adaptations, permit them to regulate their body temperature. (Updated 2017/05/16)

Anthropogenic threats to Leatherback Sea Turtles include (in no particular order) entanglement, vessel collisions, marine pollution, acoustic disturbance, climate change, poaching, coastal development and artificial light. The threat of highest concern in Atlantic Canadian waters is entanglement in fishing gear, which can cause lethal or sub-lethal injuries to a turtle. Entanglement can also compromise a turtle’s ability to swim, resulting in drowning. Poaching, coastal development and artificial light are not threats in Canadian waters. (Updated 2017/05/16)

SARA contains provisions that allow for the protection of certain listed species at risk individuals, their residences as well as their critical habitat. The responsibility for conservation of species at risk is shared by all jurisdictions in Canada. The Act recognizes this joint responsibility and that all Canadians have a role to play in the protection of wildlife. More information about SARA, including how it protects individual species, is available in A guide to your responsibilities under the Species at Risk Act. For information on how provincial or territorial laws protect the species, consult the provinces’ and territories’ websites.