Marine Species Conservation

Marine turtle species

• Biology and research
• Conservation and management
• Indigenous significance
• Flatback turtle
• Green turtle
• Hawksbill turtle
• Leatherback turtle
• Loggerhead turtle
• Olive Ridley turtle

See also

• Newsletter
• Recovery plan
• National partnership approach to sustainable harvest
• Olive Ridley nesting and foraging grounds

Key

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Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)

Conservation status

National: Vulnerable

Queensland: Endangered

Northern Territory: Specially Protected Animal

Western Australia: Specially Protected Fauna

Distribution and habitats

Leatherback turtles occur in tropical and temperate waters of Australia. Large numbers of leatherback turtles feed off the south Queensland and New South Wales coasts and off Western Australia's coast, south of Geraldton. They are less abundant in the tropical waters of the northern Australian continental shelf. Most leatherback turtles living in Australian waters migrate to breed in neighbouring countries, particularly in Java and along the northern coast of Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Breeding areas and nesting seasons

No large rookeries have been recorded in Australia. Scattered nesting occurs along the south Queensland coast from Bundaberg to Round Hill Head and along the coast of Arnhem Land from Coburg Peninsula to Maningrida, including Crocker Island.

Breeding in Australia occurs mostly during December and January.

The best place to see leatherback turtles is Wreck Rock, north of Bundaberg in Queensland.

Diet

The leatherback turtle is carnivorous and feeds mainly in the open ocean on jellyfish and other soft-bodied invertebrates.

• Carapace with 5 distinct ridges and no large scales
• Black with light spotting
• Adult carapace approx. 1.6m

See also

• More about the Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)