Leatherback sea turtle
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| phylum | Chordata | The leatherback sea turtle is the largest of all living turtles and is the fourth largest modern reptile behind three crocodilians. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell. Instead, its carapace is covered by skin and oily flesh. Leatherback turtles have the most hydrodynamic body design of any sea turtle, with a large, teardrop-shaped body. A large pair of front flippers power the turtles through the water. Claws are absent from both pairs of flippers. The leatherback's flippers are the largest in proportion to its body among extant sea turtles.
For more information, visit the Wikipedia entry. Get back to Sea turtles |
| clade | Anapsida | |
| order | Testudines | |
| suborder | Cryptodira | |
| family | Dermochelyidae | |
| genus | Dermochelys | |
| species | D. coriacea |
