What Do Leatherback Sea Turtle Eat
Sea turtles are captivating marine life. Among them, leatherback sea turtles boast a special standing. But what do these sea creatures feast on?
Leatherback sea turtles are primarily gelatinivores; they predominantly munch on jellyfish and other soft-bodied invertebrates. However, it’s worth noting that their diet can vary somewhat based on the availability of food where they live.
Ready to dive deeper? Follow along as we embark on an underwater exploration into the fascinating dietary habits of leatherback sea turtles.
Diving Deep: Understanding Leatherback Sea Turtles
Leatherback sea turtles are known for their impressive size and vast global range, but these features alone don’t highlight their uniqueness. They hold unique qualities that not only distinguish them from other species of sea turtles but also play a vital role in the ecology of the ocean.
Leatherback’s Unique Features and Why They Matter
Leatherback turtles, also known as Dermochelys coriacea, are truly a sight to behold. They are the largest of all turtles and among the heaviest reptiles on earth. Adult leatherbacks can reach up to 1.85 meters in length and can weigh staggering amounts of weight – as heavy as 916 kilograms. Unlike most reptiles, they have a body temperature that is noticeably warmer than their surrounding environment. But it is their unique leathery, oil-saturated skin and lack of a hard shell that sets them apart from other turtle species.
These attributes serve more than just making them unique; they play a pivotal role in their survival in the marine environment. For example, their body heat allows them to comfortably dive to the frigid depths of the ocean. A leatherback sea turtle’s diet mainly consists of jellyfish and other soft-bodied invertebrates, which they encounter during these deep dives. By consuming copious amounts of jellyfish, leatherbacks help control jellyfish populations, maintaining a balanced marine ecosystem.
The Global Range of Leatherback Seaturtles
Leatherbacks have the widest global distribution of all marine turtle species, truly making them a global wanderer. From the tropical waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans to the more frigid waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, leatherbacks cover a considerable range. With powerful flippers, they can travel an incredible 10,000 miles or more each year. Interestingly, they also do not shy away from colder waters and have been spotted as far north as Alaska and Norway and as far south as New Zealand and South Africa in their quest for food.
The extraordinary voyages of leatherbacks represent an important part of these species’ life history as they migrate from nesting beaches in the tropics to feeding areas in the temperate and subpolar waters. Their broad distribution and migratory paths, however, expose them to various threats such as marine pollution, accidental capture in fishing gear, and climate change, jeopardizing their survival.
The Sea’s Pantry: What Makes Up Leatherbacks’ Diet
Leatherback sea turtles are known for their large size and vast traveling distances. However, their dietary preferences are a fascinating topic that deserves much attention. Their primary source of nourishment and sustenance lies in the pulsating blobs we call jellyfish.
Delectable Jellyfish: The Main Course
Leatherbacks have an undeniable craving for jellyfish, making them their main course of sustenance in the vast ocean. Despite boasting a tough exterior shell, their esophagi are lined with sharp, pointed, backward-facing spines that help them grip slippery jellyfish. Using their long, retractable necks, these marine reptiles can swallow their prey whole.
How They Identify Their Jellyfish Prey
While the sea may seem to us like a big blue blur, leatherback turtles can effectively identify their favorite jellyfish meals among the oceanic fauna. They can differentiate species such as the lion’s mane, moon jellies and sea nettles, amongst others. Their keen perception helps them avoid less palatable species and harmful plastic debris, which is, unfortunately, abundant in the ocean.
Surprising Facts about a Leatherback’s Jellyfish Dinner
You might be surprised to know that a leatherback cannot survive on jellyfish alone because of their low-caloric content. To meet their energy demands, leatherback turtles must consume a staggering number of jellyfish in a day. Scientists estimate that an adult leatherback can eat up to 73% of their body weight in jellyfish per day! This amounts to around 500 to 800kg of these gelatinous sea creatures.
Seafood On the Side: Alternative Food Sources
In addition to jellyfish, leatherback sea turtles are also known to eat a variety of other marine organisms, serving as an alternative food source. These can include squid, sea urchins, crustaceans, fish, and small invertebrates.
Size Doesn’t Matter: Ingesting Large Prey
Leatherbacks prove that when it comes to nutrition, size doesn’t matter. Their flexible, boneless jaws allow them to swallow prey larger than their heads and digest creatures with hard shells. This versatility in their dietary options accounts for their massive body sizes and their ability to travel long distances.
Living Through Lean Times: Surviving When Food is Scarce
Leatherbacks are resilient creatures that can survive during lean times when food is scarce. They have the ability to slow their metabolism and use their body fat reserves for survival. This way, they can go without food for long periods, which is particularly crucial during migration over large expanses of ocean with scarce food sources.
Masterful Hunting: How Leatherbacks Capture Their Food
Leatherback sea turtles are exceptional hunters with skills honed by millions of years of evolution. They deftly rule their domain, navigating their oceanic environment with an expertise that rivals many of their marine counterparts. Though a variety of various elements factor into their survival, their diet is a crucial aspect of their existence underwater. Let’s delve into the world of these ancient creatures and explore how they hunt, what they eat, and their unique behaviors around feeding.
Depth Defying Hunting: Tackling the Deep Blue
Leatherback sea turtles are the Michael Phelps of the turtle world. They are the largest sea turtles and the deepest divers. Armed with beautifully streamlined bodies, they are designed to navigate the dark abyss of the deep sea expertly. Their ability to dive up to 4,200 feet (1,280 meters) underwater makes them one of the deepest diving air-breathing creatures on Earth. These dives into depths allow them to access a wide variety of prey, most notably the jellyfish.
Riding the Waves: Surfacing for a Meal
Yet despite their deep-sea prowess, the leatherback sea turtles also surface to eat. Ever versatile, leatherbacks aren’t just deep-sea specialists. They are equally capable of riding the waves, capturing prey near the water’s surface. When the season calls, they surf along coastal areas in search of food, feeding on a mix of floating invertebrates, including their favorite, the jellyfish.
How They Navigate and Choose Their Hunting Grounds
The vastness of the seas demands excellent navigational skills. Leatherback turtles meet this demand with a fantastic sense of location and direction. An innate magnetic compass guides the turtle across the world’s oceans, from its birthplace to feeding grounds, and back for nesting. Its favorite hunting grounds include the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, areas well-known for jellyfish blooms. However, they can adapt their hunting ground and diet to survive if their usual food sources are scarce, showing their grit and resilience in a constantly changing world.
These hunting methods serve the leatherback well, providing it with all the sustenance it requires to swim thousands of miles, mate, and successfully nest and hatch the next generation of this remarkable species. Their hunting ability, combined with an impressive capacity to adapt, has helped the leatherback sea turtle to survive since the age of the dinosaurs and maintain its place as a truly iconic marine creature.
How Climate Change Is Influencing Leatherbacks’ Diets
Climate change is having a significant influence on the diet of leatherback sea turtles. The increasing temperatures of ocean waters are causing shifts in the abundance and distribution of their primary source of food.
Warming Waters and Its Impact on Food Availability
Leatherback sea turtles primarily eat jellyfish, a creature known for its preference for warmer waters. However, as the climate crisis continues to heat the world’s oceans, jellyfish populations are being disturbed, causing a ripple effect on the food chain.
Ocean warming is leading to a decrease in the abundance of jellyfish in some areas. The warming waters are also causing a shift in the types of jellyfish species available in leatherbacks’ traditional feeding areas. The species that flourish in these warmer temperatures are often smaller and less nourishing than the ones that used to dominate.
According to a study published in the journal “Global Change Biology,” the jellyfish availability in the Atlantic Ocean has decreased by about 40% since the 1970s. This decline is expected to continue in the coming years due to climate change. This scarcity of food is forcing leatherbacks to switch up their diets or travel further in search of food, which significantly increases their energy expenditure.
Survival of the Fittest: Adapting to a Changing Diet Pattern
Leatherback sea turtles are facing a double whammy of hotter waters and shrinking food supplies. As an adaptive response to these changing conditions, some leatherbacks are demonstrating a surprising dietary flexibility. Scientists have found evidence of leatherbacks supplementing their diet with other prey like sea squirts, salps, and shelled mollusks.
One study published in the “Marine Ecology Progress Series” found that leatherbacks off the coast of Canada are showing signs of a broader diet. The research reports up to 34% of the diet was made up of non-jellyfish prey, proving that leatherbacks are somewhat adapting to their changing environment.
Despite showing some adaptability, it’s unclear how these diet changes will affect the leatherbacks in the long run. With the relentless progression of climate change, the subsequent impact on food supply will undoubtedly have long-term consequences for the survival of these majestic sea creatures.
The Fragile Food Chain: How Leatherbacks Affect Marine Ecosystems
The diet of Leatherback Sea Turtles plays a significant role in marine ecosystems. Their primary food source is jellyfish, but they also feed on a range of other invertebrates such as squid and crustaceans. In a single day, a mature Leatherback can consume approximately 73% of their body weight in jellyfish, which equates to around 363 kilograms. This insatiable appetite helps to control jellyfish populations, which if left unchecked, can disrupt ecosystem balance by outcompeting fish for plankton.
Notably, it’s not just a one-way relationship. Leatherbacks, in turn, are preyed upon, largely by sharks and killer whales in their juvenile and adult stages, as well as by a variety of birds and small mammals when still eggs or hatchlings. Intriguingly, even sea-dwelling beetles and crabs have been known to feast on hatching turtles. This cycle of predation integrates Leatherbacks into a wider food chain, impacting the survival rates and population balance of these predator species.
When the Hunter Becomes the Hunted: Predators of Leatherbacks.
On a different note, when it comes to human interaction, it paints a rather grim picture. Overfishing, either due to accidental catch (bycatch) or in some cases intentional hunting for meat and eggs, is a significant threat to the Leatherback population. Bycatch alone causes the death of thousands of Leatherbacks each year. Overfishing not only directly kills these turtles, but it also depletes their food resources, making survival increasingly challenging.
Human Impact: Overfishing and Plastic Pollution
Moving on to the problem of plastic pollution, it’s almost as daunting as overfishing. Leatherbacks can’t discern between jellyfish (their primary food) and floating plastic bags. Consequently, many end up ingesting plastic, mistaking it for food. According to a recent study, over 50% of sea turtles worldwide have consumed plastic or other rubbish. It’s postulated that for Leatherbacks, this number might be even higher due to their jellyfish-centric diet. This inadvertent consumption of plastic not only leads to digestive tract blockage causing potential starvation but also the absorption of toxic chemicals which can affect their reproductive ability, immunity and even lifespan.
A Ray of Hope: Conservation Efforts
In response to the alarming decrease in the number of leatherback sea turtles, numerous conservation programs worldwide are actively working to preserve and increase the population of this endangered species. These efforts are a shining ray of hope for the leatherback sea turtles, ensuring their survival for future generations.
A notable example is the conservation program launched by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Fish and Wildlife Service in the United States. They’ve initiated several measures like habitat protection and satellite tracking to monitor the movement and behavior of these sea turtles. Did you know, as per the 2019 data, they’ve managed to satellite track over 135 leatherback sea turtles, offering invaluable insights into their migratory patterns and breeding behaviors?
Across the globe, in 2005, an organization named “The Leatherback Trust” was established in Costa Rica, focusing on protecting the nesting beaches, which are essential for the survival of the species. Their hard work has resulted in a sustained increase in hatching rates at the Las Baulas National Marine Park, where over 1000 nests are being protected each nesting season.
Moreover, public awareness campaigns play a crucial role in conservation efforts. Many organizations offer ‘adopt a turtle’ programs, attracting public involvement, and raising funds for conservation initiatives. For instance, the World Wildlife Fund, under their adoption program, has been able to support the protection of over 1,200 square miles of ocean habitat for leatherback turtles.
Finally, in a bid to reduce the accidental catch of leatherback sea turtles in fishing gear, certain regulations have been put in place. Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) have been made mandatory in certain types of fishing nets. These devices allow captured turtles to escape, thus playing a significant role in their conservation.
Encouraging Coexistence: How You Can Help
Leatherback Sea Turtles, like a myriad of other marine species, benefit greatly from the conscious actions of humans looking to protect their environment. As responsible cohabiters of the planet, there are several ways in which we can help encourage the coexistence and thriving survival of these magnificent creatures.
First, we can start by reducing our use of plastic materials. Leatherback sea turtles are known to consume jellyfish, confusing floating plastic bags and other debris for their prey. It is estimated that over 1,000 marine creatures, including turtles, are killed annually due to plastic debris. Limiting our plastic use can directly assist in minimizing this threat.
Second, taking part in beach clean-ups is another simple and effective method to help protect Leatherback Sea Turtles. Litter on beaches can disrupt the turtle nesting processes and can pose a threat to hatchlings trying to reach the ocean. Moreover, items such as fishing lines can cause entanglement and harm to both adult turtles and hatchlings.
Thirdly, it is critical to adhere to respectful guidelines when encountering these incredible creatures in the wild. One should maintain a safe and respectful distance, not interfering with their natural behavior. Following local regulations and guidelines regarding lighting can also help, as artificial light on beaches can disorient hatchlings trying to find their way to the sea.
Finally, supporting conservation efforts, either through donations or volunteer work, can have a profound impact. There are numerous organizations worldwide dedicated to the preservation of these species, and they heavily rely on public support to carry out their work.
Ultimately, our actions, no matter how small they may seem, can greatly contribute to the preservation and protection of Leatherback Turtles.
Resources
- https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/lethback/
- https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=leatherbackseaturtle.printerfriendly
- https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/leatherback-turtle
