@canvasofthewild

Meet the largest sea turtle in the ocean, a featured species in the #seaofconnections mural! The Leatherback sea turtle gets its name from the rubber-like shell, that's actually a collection of thousands of tiny bone plates that make it appear “leathery.” They are usually between 4-6 feet in length, but the largest individual was 10 feet from beak to tail and weighed over 2,000lbs! Their massive size, powerful flippers, and stream-lined body make them true pelagic navigators, enabling them to swim thousands of miles over open ocean and against fast currents. In Florida, leatherbacks nest almost exclusively on the east coast of Florida (except for a few spots on the Gulf), with about 30% of all nests in the state occurring in Palm Beach County. Globally, Leatherback's are considered vulnerable by the IUCN, but many subpopulations, including the Florida turtles, are Endangered. The greatest threats to Leatherback sea turtles are unsustainable commercial fisheries where they are often entangled as bycatch, and marine pollution such as balloons and plastic bags that are mistaken as food. Learn more about this species and how you can help protect them on @loggerheadmarinelifecenter and follow @oceanicpreservationsociety to learn how you can help protect our ocean globally! Illustration by @kellyofthewild . . #seaturtle #seaturtles #seaturtlelove #seaturtlelover #leatherbackseaturtle #loggerheadmarinelifecenter #palmbeach #seaturtleart #seaturtleconservation #oceanresearch #oceanlove #oceanlover #turtlelover #scientificillustration #marinescience #steamlearning #steameducation