Breathtaking Moment When The Largest Sea Turtle In The World Comes Out Of The Water To Take Rest
A giant leatherback sea turtle stepping out of the ocean is the kind of sight that stops a beach in its tracks. In this rare video, the massive animal crawls onto the sand for a brief rest, and the moment is so unusual that it instantly grabs attention.
The footage, filmed at an unknown location, shows the largest turtle in the world pausing onshore before heading back into the water. Leatherbacks spend most of their lives alone at sea, and they usually come ashore only to nest, which makes this short encounter especially striking.
With a body that can reach 2,000 pounds and a shell that looks more like tough leather than armor, this ocean giant leaves a lasting impression. Read on.
The leatherback turtles are usually solitary creatures that spend most of their time swimming across the ocean.
Leatherback turtles are known to travel incredibly long distances during their lifetimes. Throughout its lifetime, a leatherback turtle may cross the ocean several times, traveling to and from preferred feeding or nesting sites.
They only come onshore when they lay their eggs and extremely rarely to rest – just as it happened in this case.
The video, which you’ll see below, shows the moment this enormous turtle emerges from the water. The name "leatherback" refers to the leather-like shell that this species of turtle has, as opposed to a hard shell like other turtles.
They are one of the most migratory species, traveling across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
That kind of journey is no small feat.
This is like a diver facing a massive 23-foot green anaconda in a Brazilian river, all calm until it isn’t.
These giants don’t have a very strong shell, but it looks rather like leathery skin.
Every summer and fall, Pacific leatherbacks travel from their nesting beaches in the Coral Triangle all the way to the California coast to dine on the abundance of jellyfish. Although they are widely distributed, the number of leatherback turtles has drastically decreased over the past century due to extensive egg collection and bycatch in fisheries.
The video below shows the moment this enormous turtle emerges from the water.
Although the IUCN lists the leatherback as Vulnerable globally, certain subpopulations (such as those in the Pacific and Southwest Atlantic) are Critically Endangered. The vast amount of jellyfish that leatherback turtles eat contributes to the control of these marine species’ populations.
In coastal towns, marine turtles, notably leatherbacks, are a major source of revenue for ecotourism.
What a rare sight.
Want another ocean encounter? See the researchers who spotted a colossal prehistoric-looking shark near a New England ship.
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