Leatherback turtle
Depth: 80 m · Sunlight Zone
The leatherback is the largest turtle in the world and has no hard shell, but a leathery skin with long ridges. It dives over a thousand meters deep and eats almost nothing but jellyfish. Its body stays warmer than the surrounding water.
For scientists
The leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) has, instead of a bony shell, an oily leathery skin over a mosaic of small bone platelets with seven lengthwise ridges. Through counter-current heat and its sheer size (gigantothermy) it keeps its body temperature well above the water and dives over 1200 m deep. Backward-pointing spines in its throat hold slippery jellyfish.
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