Dermochelys Coriacea
Otherwise known as the Leatherback Turtle
Where the Leatherback is found in North Carolina:
The Leatherback Turtle is found in North Carolina in several places. The main places that the Leatherback Turtle is found in is the Pamlico Sound and along the coast of the sound. The Leatherback Turtle is also found down on the coast of the center of North Carolina. The Leathernack Turtle doesn't really travel far down the coast of North Carolina, it stays more central. This region is called the Tidewater Region or also known as the Coastal Plain Region.
Mother Leatherback laying her eggs.
The females come to shore a dig a hole to leave their eggs in.
A baby Leatherback.
The baby coming from its egg in the sand, to the ocean, its new home.
An adult Leatherback.
An adult Leatherback swimming in the ocean, its natural habitat.
Why it's in danger:
The main reason why the Leatherback Turtle is in danger of extinction is because of destructive fishing practices. This is when the fishermen over fish or do something else to the water that threatens the lives of many marine animals. Another main reason why Leatherback Turtles are close to extinction is because of pollution in our waters. The pollution that we leave around eventually makes its way into the ocean and harms the animals a lot. One of the reasons why it harms the Leatherback is because of plastic bags. The Leatherback Turtles eat Jellyfish, so when they see the plastic bag floating around they think its a Jellyfish and eat it. This bag eventually turns into more which can kill the turtles. Many of the reasons why they are almost extinct are because of human interactions and something needs to be done.
What is being done to protect it:
Something that is being done to prevent it is that the United Nations are issuing a temporary prohibition on destructive fishing practices. This means that fishermen can't go on a huge fishing trip and just catch random things, they actually have a limit and they can only catch certain fish. Another thing that is being done is that people are doing beach sweeps and other things to pick up litter to prevent the ocean from getting polluted. Another thing that people are doing is that, many boats are going out into the ocean and taking big nets to clean the water to get the plastic pieces out of it.
Sources Used:
http://www.fws.gov/nc-es/reptile/leather.html
http://www.fws.gov/raleigh/es_tes.html
http://www.ourendangeredworld.com/species/reptiles/leatherback-sea-turtle/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leatherback_sea_turtle
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/leatherback.htm
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/02/0224_030224_seaturtles.html