U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ECOS
  1. ECOS

Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)

Listing Status: Endangered

Where Listed: WHEREVER FOUND

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) are joint lead Federal agencies responsible for managing this species; the FWS manages the species on land, while NMFS manages the species in water. The information on this page displays mostly FWS data; for additional information on this species, including NMFS regulatory actions such as critical habitat designation or recovery planning, please visit the National Marine Fisheries website (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species-directory/threatened-endangered).

General Information

The leatherback is the largest, deepest diving, and most migratory and wide ranging of all sea turtles. The adult leatherback can reach 4 to 8 feet in length and 500 to 2000 pounds in weight. Its shell is composed of a mosaic of small bones covered by firm, rubbery skin with seven longitudinal ridges or keels. The skin is predominantly black with varying degrees of pale spotting; including a notable pink spot on the dorsal surface of the head in adults. A toothlike cusp is located on each side of the gray upper jaw; the lower jaw is hooked anteriorly. The paddle-like clawless limbs are black with white margins and pale spotting.

The species historical range included Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Virgin Islands, Washington. See below for information about where the species is known or believed to occur.

Current Listing Status Summary

» Range Information

Current Range
Last Updated: 01-29-2025 - Wherever found
Zoom in! Some species' locations may be small and hard to see from a wide perspective. To narrow-in on locations, check the state and county lists (below) and then use the zoom tool.
Want the FWS's current range for all species? Click here to download a zip file containing all individual shapefiles and metadata for all species.
* For consultation needs do not use only this current range map, please use IPaC.

Current range maps are only shown within the jurisdictional boundaries of the United States of America. The species may also occur outside this region.

  • Wherever found

    Listing status: Endangered

    • States/US Territories in which this population is known to or is believed to occur: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Virgin Islands
    • US Counties in which this population is known to or is believed to occur: View All
    • USFWS Refuges in which this population is known to occur: Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge ...Show All Refuges
    • Countries in which this population is known to occur: Albania, American Samoa, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Benin, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eritrea, Fiji, French Guiana, Gabon, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Liberia, Malaysia, Martinique, Mauritania, Mexico, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States, U.S. Pacific Outlying Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vanuatu, Venezuela

» Candidate Information

No Candidate information available for this species.

No Candidate Assessments available for this species.

No Candidate Notice of Review Documents currently available for this species.

No Uplisting Documents currently available for this species.

» Federal Register Documents

Federal Register Documents

» Species Status Assessments (SSAs)

Species Status Assessments (SSAs)

No Species Status Assessments (SSA's) are currently available for this species.

Special Rule Publications

» Conservation Plans

Habitat Conservation Plans (HCP) (learn more)

» Petitions

» Biological Opinions

To see all FWS Issued Biological Opinions please visit the BO Report.

» Life History

No Life History information has been entered into this system for this species.

» Other Resources

NatureServe Explorer Species Reports-- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports-- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video." +

Loading...