Instead of teeth, the leatherback turtle has points on the tomium of its upper lip, with backwards spines in its throat (esophagus) to help it swallow food and to stop its prey from escaping once caught.Įsophagus of a leatherback sea turtle showing spines to retain preyĭ. Demonstrating countershading, the turtle's underside is lightly colored. The entire turtle's dorsal surface is colored dark grey to black, with a scattering of white blotches and spots. Leatherbacks are unique among reptiles in that their scales lack β-keratin. Seven distinct ridges rise from the carapace, crossing from the cranial to caudal margin of the turtle's back. Instead of scutes, it has thick, leathery skin with embedded minuscule osteoderms. Its most notable feature is the lack of a bony carapace. The leatherback has several characteristics that distinguish it from other sea turtles. Leatherback's front flippers can grow up to 2.7 m (8.9 ft) in large specimens, the largest flippers (even in comparison to its body) of any sea turtle. The leatherback's flippers are the largest in proportion to its body among extant sea turtles. Claws are absent from both pairs of flippers. Like other sea turtles, the leatherback has flattened forelimbs adapted for swimming in the open ocean. A large pair of front flippers powers the turtles through the water. Leatherback turtles have the most hydrodynamic body of any sea turtle, with a large, teardrop-shaped body. However, their sister taxon is the extinct family Protostegidae that included other species that did not have a hard carapace. The dermochelyids are relatives of the family Cheloniidae, which contains the other six extant sea turtle species. Relatives of modern leatherback turtles have existed in relatively the same form since the first true sea turtles evolved over 110 million years ago during the Cretaceous period. But probably more accurately derived from the lute's ribbed back which is in the form of a shell. The common names incorporating "lute" and "luth" compare the seven ridges that run the length of the animal's back to the seven strings on the musical instrument of the same name. Older names include "leathery turtle" and "trunk turtle". īoth the turtle's common and scientific names come from the leathery texture and appearance of its carapace ( Dermochelys coriacea literally translates to "Leathery Skin-turtle"). The subspecies were later labeled invalid synonyms of D. coriacea, with each given subspecies status as D. In 1884, the American naturalist Samuel Garman described the species as Sphargis coriacea schlegelii. In 1843, the zoologist Leopold Fitzinger put the genus in its own family, Dermochelyidae. The leatherback was then reclassified as Dermochelys coriacea. In 1816, French zoologist Henri Blainville coined the term Dermochelys. ĭomenico Agostino Vandelli named the species first in 1761 as Testudo coriacea after an animal captured at Ostia and donated to the University of Padua by Pope Clement XIII. The genus, in turn, contains the only extant member of the family Dermochelyidae. Taxonomy and evolution Taxonomy ĭermochelys coriacea is the only species in genus Dermochelys. 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. It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys and family Dermochelyidae. The leatherback sea turtle ( Dermochelys coriacea), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non- crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to 1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in) and weights of 500 kilograms (1,100 lb).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |