Females lay nests containing as many as 170 eggs, but half or more of those are usually yolkless (infertile). Occasionally they will nest as far north as North Carolina. Leatherbacks are considered a warm-water species, but many have been sighted as far north as Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. There are seven on the top and five on the bottom. Their shell has several ridges running from head to toe. Instead they have an irregular arrangement of small bones covered by a thick, dark brown or black leathery skin. The leatherback’s shell does not have bony scutes like other sea turtles. Leatherbacks can weigh from 650 to 2,000 pounds as adults. Their shells may be as long as 4 to 6 feet. Leatherback sea turtles are the largest turtles in the world. The Kemp’s is the most highly endangered reptile in the world. Occasional nesting has been documented in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. Nesting also occurs in Veracruz, Mexico, and in Texas, but on a much smaller scale. Nesting takes about 4-6 hours, and there may be as many as 10,000 females laying nests at one time. The three main nesting beaches in Tamaulipas, Mexico are Rancho Nuevo, Tepehuajes and Barra del Tordo. There is only one confirmed Kemp’s ridley arribada and it is in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, where nearly 95% of worldwide Kemp’s ridley nesting occurs. This group of females will all come ashore in one day on one 4-mile stretch of beach in Mexico. The Kemp’s are known for their group nesting behavior called arribadas. It feeds mainly on crabs and mollusks, but is also known to eat other invertebrates and plants. It only reaches lengths of 30 inches and weights of just over 100 pounds. They are endangered because their beautiful shells were once highly prized for jewelry and women’s accessories.The Kemp’s ridley is the smallest of the sea turtles found in North Carolina. They prefer tropical reefs where they can eat small plants and animals that live within the reef system. Hawksbill turtles are rarely seen in North Carolina. Its name, like the loggerhead, comes from the shape of its head. Its head is small with a narrow snout and smooth cutting edges. They can hold their breath longer than any other sea turtle, with some staying underwater more than three hours.As an adult, the hawksbill sea turtle can grow to 3 feet in length and may reach as much as 280 pounds. The most unusual fact about green sea turtles is that they occasionally come ashore to bask. Even so, they occasionally nest on one of the southern beaches in North Carolina. This is probably because we have few turtle or eel grass beds in this area for them to eat. They are less common in North Carolina than loggerheads. Green sea turtles are named for the green color of their fat, not their shell as most people think. Green sea turtles are herbivores as adults. They can reach up to five feet and can weigh up to 650 pounds. Green sea turtles are larger than loggerheads. Loggerhead sea turtles have five scutes down each side of their shell, whereas greens only have four. It is possible to count the number of scutes on the shell to identify one from the other. Loggerhead and green sea turtles look similar as adults. Historically, they nested as far north as Virginia. These turtles nest as far north as Ocracoke Inlet in North Carolina and as far south as Florida. Tagged adults have been found thousands of miles from where they were originally marked. Loggerheads tend to travel great distances. Sailors seeing the head poke above the surface to breathe would often mistake them for logs, so they named them loggerheads. They may weigh as much as 500 pounds, but 350 pounds is more common. A loggerhead sea turtle’s shell can reach 3-4 feet.
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