The largest turtles found anywhere in the world are under threat. Weighing in at an average of 1,000 pounds and measuring around 5 feet from beak to tail, Leatherback Sea Turtles are truly remarkable. These ocean giants get their name from their unique “leathery” shell, made up of tough, flexible skin instead of hard scales. Their shells allow them to paddle more efficiently across the globe. With the largest range of any reptile, Leatherbacks are found in every ocean except the Arctic and Antarctic. On average these well-traveled tourists breast-stroke for 3,700 miles in search of food.
The Perfect Nesting Ground
While these sea turtles roam the globe, they are quite particular about where they lay their eggs. Leatherbacks prefer wide, long beaches with a steep slope, deep rock-free sand, and an unobstructed deep water approach. Based on these nesting locations, they are separated into seven distinct populations. The North West Atlantic population nests on the southeastern Coast of the United States and a few Caribbean islands. This population segment of turtles spends their adolescent years floating with the current around the Caribbean and only ventures out to the coastal waters of the U.S., Canada, Europe, and North Africa once they reach maturity in order to search for food.
National Wildlife Refuges: Guardians of Nesting Sites
Sea Turtle tracks on the beaches of Sandy Point NWR | USFWS
The United States hosts about 1,700 nesting females from this population segment. The National Wildlife Refuge System protects the vast majority of these nesting sites through its national wildlife refuges in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge on the U.S. Virgin Islands primarily focuses on conserving the nesting habitat for the endangered Leatherback Sea Turtles. The 2024 hatching season for leatherbacks just ended at Sandy Point NWR, and through their Youth Conservation Corps program, they ensured secure nesting grounds for these magnificent animals. The Conservation Corps employs teens from St. Croix Island to restore nesting sites, monitor turtle activity, and inform their communities about the importance of Leatherback Sea Turtles.
Rising Threats: A Battle Against Time
Leatherback Sea Turtle | Jessica Castro-Prieto/Refuge Association
Initiatives by the Refuge System are crucial because these marvelous turtles face rising threats to their nesting locations. Leatherback Sea Turtles are an endangered species that face numerous threats to their survival. Unfortunately, many of these threats are human-caused, such as beachfront development and ever-present climate change. While national wildlife refuges are protected from development, many other nesting sites are not, making the importance of our protected beaches even greater. Climate change also poses significant threats through sea level rise and increasing beach temperatures. Rising seas can cause nesting sites to disappear, while higher sand temperatures reduce hatching success and can alter the sex ratio of the hatchlings.
Night Lights: An Unexpected Threat
Turtle-safe lighting installed by the Refuge Association & Community in Puerto Rico | Jessica Castro-Prieto/Refuge Association
Perhaps one of the greatest challenges these turtles face is, like a movie star, unnatural lighting. This issue arises once the female turtle finishes laying her eggs and must return to the ocean, along with her hatchlings when they emerge. Egg laying and hatching primarily occur at night and because Leatherbacks cannot navigate well on land they rely on the dim light of the horizon to guide them to the sea. It takes about 60 to 70 days for Leatherback hatchlings to emerge from their eggs. Artificial light confuses them, drawing them inland and often towards roads, resulting in many turtles becoming roadkill.
Hope On The Horizon With The
National Wildlife Refuge Association
Artificial lighting was particularly problematic in Puerto Rico, where roads often parallel beaches to provide tourist access. To curb turtle deaths, the National Wildlife Refuge Association received a grant to protect Leatherback nesting sites in key areas across the island. This project is made possible through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Jessica Castro-Prieto, our specialist in the field, led this massive restoration project which reduced threats to more than 5,000 nests, and over 200,000 hatchlings. To address the unnatural lighting plaguing Puerto Rican beaches, Castro-Prieto put in place a total of 2,449 turtle-friendly lighting fixtures. In addition, she facilitated the construction of wooden fences to buffer impacts of the urban coastline and prevent turtles from crossing into urban developments.
Native plant greenhouse | Jessica Castro-Prieto/Refuge Association
To further mitigate light pollution, the National Wildlife Refuge Association spearheaded a massive native vegetation planting operation, led by Castro-Prieto. This included building a greenhouse to supply the project’s demands. A total of 5,696 native trees, shrubs, and vines were planted on Leatherback nesting beaches. Not only would this shrubbery darken the beaches to a more natural state but would also stabilize the beaches themselves making them more resilient to climate change. In order to complete this project Castro-Prieto maintained direct communication with local communities informing them of the challenges faced by Leatherbacks. She also listened to their ideas, created affinity, and negotiated so both parties benefit from the outcome. She explained that this will allow local beach goers to feel empowered to protect their own environment.
Join The Fight To Save Leatherbacks
The future of Leatherback Sea Turtles in the North Atlantic is still uncertain. Their nesting environments continue to deteriorate, but thanks to the work from folks like Castro-Prieto, those at Sandy Point NWR, and supporters like you, these turtles still have a fighting chance.
Please help us prevent more Leatherbacks from becoming roadkill. These wonderful creatures bring joy to local communities and balance to ocean ecosystems. Their rarity and beauty are treasures in themselves.
💡 Did You Know? — Leatherbacks lay the heaviest eggs of any reptile, at approximately 80 grams each, but rely on a few threatened tropical nesting sites to lay their eggs! Donate today to protect these terrific terrapins.