Mother Nature is wondrous, and it always finds a way to impress us. Our planet is an incredibly beautiful place to live in, and wherever we go, we are surrounded by stunning flora and fauna.
The fauna across the world is very rich and varied, and it is always fascinating to observe and study. The leatherback sea turtle is the largest one on Earth, a relic of a turtle family that traces its evolutionary roots back more than 100 million years.
These sea turtles can grow up to seven feet long and exceed 2,000 pounds. They once lived in all oceans but the Antarctic and Arctic, but nowadays, their population is seriously endangered, mainly due to marine pollution and the accidental take in commercial fisheries.
In 2013, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources listed the leatherback sea turtle as Vulnerable (facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future).
They mainly live in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans near the equatorial line, and many have been spotted off the coast of Central America.
Moreover, these sea turtles are incredible divers, since their leathery-looking rubbery skin is made up of thousands of tiny bone plates.
Actually, it is the only sea turtle that lacks a hard shell.
Detroit DJ Robin Michael posted a video on Facebook, with the caption “ The biggest turtle I have ever seen!”
The location of the event is unknown, but one can see fascinated tourists are astonished to see a gigantic leatherback in the sand. As the giant reptile tries to get back in the water, a man tries to film it with a camera.
It makes a few pushes and a couple of breaks, and it finally manages to reach the lapping waves and disappear into the sea.
These reptiles crawl out of the water during nesting season to dig nests and lay their eggs in the sand. The baby turtles need 15-50 years to reach maturity, and can even live for more than 100 years.
The video quickly become viral, with thousands of people impressed by the creature and its appearance at the beach.
Sources:
mypositiveoutlooks.com
www.sonyaz.net
conserveturtles.org
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