Probably few people can be surprised by the fact that turtles belong to a very ancient species of animals. According to paleontologists, they arose more than 200 million years ago, that is, they lived during the time of the dinosaurs. Today, scientists know about 328 species of these reptiles, but leatherback turtles occupy a special place in this list. Unlike everyone else, they have a truly gigantic size and next to them people seem to be small and defenseless creatures. Recently, one of the largest specimens of leatherback turtles was filmed on the territory of the Florida island of Hutchinson.
Since the aforementioned island is a popular holiday destination for many people, it is not surprising that tourists discovered the giant turtle. Fortunately, none of the eyewitnesses began to approach her - they just quietly watched and filmed her. A huge representative of the species of leatherback turtles slowly crawled over land to the water and soon disappeared into the waves. An unusual meeting of people and a turtle was reported by Truly Mind.
How do turtles lay their eggs?
Apparently, a female caught the eye of tourists, who buried her eggs near the coast. Such a sight can be seen quite rarely, because representatives of this species of turtles crawl out onto land only at night, and during the day they can only be seen during the laying of eggs once every 1-3 years. During the breeding season, females can make up to 7 clutches with a hundred eggs, and the breaks between laying are approximately 10 days. The depth of the dug nests is at least one meter - the eggs are carefully buried in order to protect them from predators.
Of the hundreds of eggs, turtles subsequently hatch, which almost immediately get out of the nest and crawl to the water. These tiny creatures then grow into real giants with a body length of up to 2.6 meters and practically the same range of fins. Body weight with all this is equal to an impressive 916 kilograms. Whatever one may say, these turtles are still larger than even people. It is simply impossible to raise such giants without special machines.
Leatherback turtle underwater.
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In addition to their gigantic size, these turtles differ from their relatives in body structure. Firstly, their carapace is in no way connected with the skeleton and consists of small bony plates. Secondly, the surface of the shell is covered with a thick layer of skin, which protects turtles no worse than chitin, scales and other protective formations found in animals. In all other respects, these are quite ordinary turtles that live in the tropics and feed on fish, crayfish and jellyfish.
Why do poachers hunt turtles?
At the moment, leatherback turtles are under special protection, because their nests are the desired prey of many poachers. The fact is that their eggs on the black market are very highly regarded as aphrodisiacs - substances that increase sexual desire in people.
Hunting for leatherback turtle eggs is such a serious problem that in 2013, in an attempt to get what they wanted, poachers killed a young animal advocate. The Costa Rican activist's name was Jairo Mora Sandoval, who was killed while patrolling the beach in San Jose.
Ramis Ganiev