Leatherback turtle

The leatherback turtle is an animal that lives in the ocean, mainly resting in the middle surface of tropical waters. Occasionally also seen in offshore and harbor areas. It is the largest turtle in the world and can be called a "giant turtle".

Its head, hands, feet and body are all covered with smooth leathery skin without horny scutes. The bony shell of the carapace is inlaid with hundreds of small polygonal bone plates of irregular sizes. Among them, the largest bone plate has seven longitudinal ridges, hence its name. Some people also call it a leather turtle. These longitudinal ridges spread into a pointed hip at the rear end of the body, and the two longitudinal ridges on the side of the body form an untidy nail edge. The bony shell of the plastron is not an inlaid small bone plate. It consists of many small bones firmly embedded in the delicate structure to form 5 longitudinal rows, of which the middle row is split at the umbilical cord. Its mouth is hook-shaped, and its head is so large that it cannot be retracted into the carapace. The hands and feet are paddle-shaped, without claws, and the phalanges of the forelimbs are particularly long. The back of the adult turtle body is dark brown or black, decorated with yellow or white white spots, and the belly is off-white.

The scales on the head of the leatherback turtle are arranged in a mixed and irregular manner. The bony shell of the carapace is made up of small polygonal bone plates of varying sizes, with seven regular longitudinal edges. There are 5 longitudinal ribs on the ventral surface. All bones are covered with smooth leathery skin. There are two large triangular tooth processes on the upper jaw. The hands and feet are paddle-shaped, with particularly well-developed forelimbs and short hind limbs. The tail is short. The back is dark brown with light yellow spots, and the belly is lighter.

                    </p>

                </p>