# Leatherback sea turtle (*Dermochelys coriacea*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/leatherback-sea-turtle  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is a reptile in the turtles and tortoises subgroup, belonging to the family Dermochelyidae within the order Testudines. It falls in the giant size class, with an adult body mass of 396.2 kg and reported values from 372.5 to 420 kg. Its lifespan is given as 30 years, with values up to 80 years, and it reaches sexual maturity at 13.2 years. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Vulnerable, a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 372.5 kg – 420 kg |
| Length | up to 2.7 m |
| Lifespan | 30 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 80 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | marine |
| Egg incubation | 61 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 82.3 – 110 |
| Age at maturity | 13 years – 13.5 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 5 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Marine |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Reptilia
- order: Testudines
- family: Dermochelyidae
- genus: Dermochelys
- species: *Dermochelys coriacea* (Vandelli, 1761)

Synonyms: *Chelonia lutaria*, *Chelonias lutaria*, *Dermatochelys porcata*, *Dermocheles coriacea*, *Dermochelis atlantica*, *Dermochelys*, *Dermochelys atlantica*, *Dermochelys coriacea coriacea*, *Dermochelys coriacea schlegelii*, *Dermochelys porcata*, *Sphargis angusta*, *Sphargis coriacea*, *Sphargis coriacea schlegelii*, *Sphargis coriacea var. schlegelii*, *Sphargis mercurialis*, *Testudo arcuata*, *Testudo coriacea*, *Testudo lutaria*, *Testudo lyra*, *Testudo lyra*, *Testudo marina*, *Testudo tuberculata*

## Common questions

### How heavy is a leatherback sea turtle?

An adult Leatherback sea turtle weighs 396.2 kg, with reported values from 372.5 to 420 kg. This places it in the giant size class.

### Is the leatherback sea turtle endangered?

The leatherback sea turtle is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List in its global assessment, which is a threatened category.

### How long does a leatherback sea turtle live?

Its lifespan is given as 30 years, and sources report values up to 80 years.

### What kind of animal is the leatherback sea turtle?

It is a reptile in the turtles and tortoises subgroup, classified in the order Testudines, suborder Cryptodira, superfamily Chelonioidea and family Dermochelyidae.

### Who named the leatherback sea turtle?

Its scientific name, Dermochelys coriacea, carries the authority (Vandelli, 1761).

### How many eggs does a leatherback sea turtle lay?

The sheet gives 82.3 young or eggs per clutch, with 5 clutches per year. The egg incubation period is 61 days.

### When does a leatherback sea turtle reach maturity?

It reaches sexual maturity at 13.2 years, with reported values from 13.0 to 13.5 years.

### What are other names for the leatherback sea turtle?

Other English names are Luth, Tinglar, Coffin-back, Leatherback and Luth turtle.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4), CC BY 4.0, v1-2. Oskyrko, O., Mi, C., Meiri, S. et al. (2024) ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles. Scientific Data 11: 243. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03079-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/leatherback-sea-turtle