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Wildlife of the World

Puzzle 70 · Ocean Giants and Reef Life · Page 104 in print

Leatherback Migration

The leatherback is the largest living sea turtle, crossing oceans between tropical nesting beaches and cooler feeding grounds; fishing lines and nets can threaten it far from the shore.

Jump to a word
A leatherback hatchling rests on pale sand in Florida.

A leatherback hatchling rests on pale sand in Florida.

Species reference for Leatherback Migration. The photograph does not necessarily show the population or place named in the puzzle.

(c) Pam Kleinsasser, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original record
Image changes

Resized and converted to JPEG for display; no subject alteration.

An adult leatherback raises its head above the water.

An adult leatherback raises its head above the water.

Species reference for Leatherback Migration. The photograph does not necessarily show the population or place named in the puzzle.

(c) RJ Baltierra, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original record
Image changes

Resized and converted to JPEG for display; no subject alteration.

The words

  1. Beaches

    Leatherbacks nest on tropical and subtropical beaches.

    fisheries.noaa.gov (opens a new tab)

  2. Dermochelys

    The leatherback is Dermochelys coriacea.

    Animal Diversity Web (opens a new tab)

  3. Fisheries

    Bycatch in fisheries threatens leatherbacks.

    fisheries.noaa.gov (opens a new tab)

  4. Hatchlings

    Leatherback hatchlings are mostly black.

    Animal Diversity Web (opens a new tab)

  5. Jellyfish

    Leatherbacks eat jellyfish.

    fisheries.noaa.gov (opens a new tab)

  6. Lion's Mane

    Lion's mane jellyfish were the leatherbacks' main prey off Nova Scotia.

    PLOS ONE (opens a new tab)

  7. Longline

    Longlines are among the gear that catch leatherbacks.

    fisheries.noaa.gov (opens a new tab)

  8. Matura Beach

    Matura Beach in Trinidad is a leatherback nesting site connected with long ocean migrations.

    Ecology and Evolution (opens a new tab)

  9. Papillae

    Backward-pointing spines in the throat and esophagus are called papillae.

    Ecology and Evolution (opens a new tab)

  10. Plastic

    Leatherbacks sometimes eat plastic, mistaking it for jellyfish.

    Animal Diversity Web (opens a new tab)

  11. Pollution

    Marine pollution is a threat to leatherbacks and the habitats through which they migrate.

    fisheries.noaa.gov (opens a new tab)

  12. Rubbery Skin

    Leatherbacks are named for their tough, rubbery skin.

    fisheries.noaa.gov (opens a new tab)

  13. Salps

    Leatherbacks eat jellyfish and salps.

    fisheries.noaa.gov (opens a new tab)

  14. Seven Ridges

    The leatherback's carapace has seven ridges.

    fisheries.noaa.gov (opens a new tab)

  15. Turtle

    Leatherbacks are the largest turtle.

    fisheries.noaa.gov (opens a new tab)

Sources

  1. leatherbackwww.fisheries.noaa.gov
  2. Leatherback Migration (source capture)Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
  3. Leatherback Migration (source capture)PLOS ONE (peer-reviewed article, Heaslip et al. 2012), full text via Europe PMC
  4. Leatherback Migration (source capture)Ecology and Evolution (peer-reviewed review, 2025), full text via Europe PMC

How we choose sources and photographs