Sea turtles are agile aquatic reptiles, adapted to life in their marine habitat. With streamlined bodies and paddle-shaped limbs, they are excellent swimmers capable of maneuvering across oceans. When mobile, sea turtles must swim to the ocean surface to breathe every few minutes. When inactive, they can stay underwater for longer periods of time. Leatherback turtles get their name from their stiff, oil-filled, flexible skin, which is supported by a structure of small bones beneath the skin. This gives the turtle a leathery look and feel. Leatherback turtles are the only species of sea turtle that does not have scales or a hard exoskeleton. Of all sea turtles, the leatherback turtle is the largest. Mature leatherback turtles measure 4 to 9 feet long and weigh between 600 and 1,500 pounds. On top they are mostly black and on the head, neck and shell there are pink and white spots. Leatherback turtles have two tooth-like horns on both sides of their upper jaw. Hatchlings measure 2 to 3 inches in length with four fins as long as their bodies and exceptional white stripes along the folds of their backs. There are seven folds along the length of a leatherback turtle's shell, as it narrows to a spot at the back. Leatherback turtles move easily through the water thanks to their front flippers and the streamlined shape of their body. Since leatherback turtles are very powerful swimmers, they are capable of making distant migrations across the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, from their feeding grounds to their nesting beaches. Leatherback turtles are often found much farther north than other sea turtle species. As they are cold-blooded reptiles, a leatherback turtle's internal temperature should be the same as the temperature of the water it is in, but these turtles...... middle of paper .... ..HAS). Since then, the leatherback turtle population continues to decline and is in a very critical state. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) also prohibits the sale or trade of any turtle-derived products on the international market. Additionally, in some locations, trawlers (fishing boats or shrimp boats) are now required by law to be equipped with larger Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) which allow larger turtles like leatherback turtles to s keep away from nets when they are caught. To better understand how to conserve these magnificent leatherback turtles, researchers are using satellite-triggered tags to track the turtles. These tags will help us learn more about their behavior and movements. Countries around the world are beginning to work cooperatively to address global threats to the leatherback turtle and to better protect the leatherback turtle in all of the world's oceans..