The Giant Ocean Legend – Leatherback Turtle in Sodwana Bay

The gigantic leatherback turtle can weigh over 800 kg. It has a deep, narrow, barrel-shaped shell that lacks horny scutes (horny scales), but is instead covered with thick, smooth skin like vulcanised rubber. The flippers are long and clawless, and in the adults the shell and flippers are black, usually scattered with white spots. Leatherbacks can be found nesting from Maphelane in the south all the way along the coast of iSimangaliso into Mozambique. Most breeding occurs between Manzengwenya and Bhanga Nek in the Coastal Forest Reserve section of the Park.
Leatherbacks undertake long journeys and frequently enter colder currents to find food. They are adapted to conserve heat in cold water. They are the only living reptiles that are warm-blooded, generating their own heat. The adult turtles feed only on jellyfish, but the juveniles may also eat other floating organisms. They dive to feed and are able to reach depths of over 350 metres due to their flexible shells, and can stay under the water for up to 37 minutes. Long spines that project backwards cover the inside of the leatherback’s throat to stop slippery food from escaping.
A leatherback turtle becomes sexually mature at between three and five years old, when the carapace is approximately 1400 mm long. Mating between leatherbacks takes place at sea. Leatherback males never leave the water once they enter it, unlike the females, which crawl onto land to nest.

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