Leatherback sea turtle Facts for Kids

The leatherback is the biggest sea turtle. Its shell is soft and leathery, with ridges down its back. It eats jellyfish.

A leatherback's back is covered in tough, rubbery skin instead of hard plates. It dives deeper than any other turtle to find jellyfish, and soft spines in its throat point backward to help it swallow them. Thick fat helps it stay warm, so it can swim far into cold water.

Leatherbacks belong to an old family of turtles that goes back to the time of the dinosaurs. They cross whole oceans, and their bodies stay warm enough for them to visit cold northern seas. Floating plastic bags can look like jellyfish to a hungry turtle, so keeping beaches and seas clean helps leatherbacks. People also change fishing nets and hooks so that turtles can get away safely.