The sea turtles Turtles such as the leatherback shared planet Earth with the dinosaurs more than 100 million years ago, spanning all geological eras to date. However, by the 21st century, human practices and climate change have caused all six species of turtles in the Americas to be in danger of extinction.
Threats to the leatherback include accelerated coastal erosion, poaching, and rising ocean and atmospheric temperatures. In order to identify and reduce these dangers, the turtle group 7 Keels of San Juan makes a monumental effort through educational programs to raise awareness among communities about the ecological value of turtles.
During the leatherback turtle nesting season in Puerto Rico—which runs from March to July—volunteers conduct patrols at night and before dawn to identify possible tracks. For the record, the measurements of the nest, the route, photos, videos are collected and the spawning area is framed.
Once the leatherback enters the sea, it can return up to nine days later during the same season to lay its eggs again.
An example of this was Scratchy the leatherback, which arrived in Puerto Rican waters for the first time in 2015, left five nests and returned in 2022, burying eight more nests. Esther did the same in 2024, spawning nine times, eight times on Ocean Park beach and once in the Isla Verde area in San Juan.
Leatherback females return to the place where they were born to deposit their young, while males spend their entire lives in the ocean. In the case of Puerto Rico, which has over 1,200 beaches among 44 municipalities, leatherback nests have been recorded in only 22 towns, including San Juan, Arecibo, Isabela, Hatillo, Río Grande, Culebra and Vieques.
The leatherback turtle, also known as the leatherback turtle, is unique in its species for having a soft, thick shell, and on it, having seven longitudinal lines (keels). Additionally, they can measure up to eight feet and weigh 1,000 pounds.
“Its shell is very, very thick and its texture is similar to marble, and that helps it withstand the depths of the sea as it goes down 300, 400 meters (approximately 1,000 feet),” he explained. Eduardo Alvarezpresident of 7 Quilas.
When the adult turtle finishes laying eggs, it can take the hatchlings about 55 days to break the shell and another three to come to the surface.
And right at that point in the life cycle, hundreds of leatherback turtles embark on the long adventure to the North Atlantic Ocean, returning to their birthplace within 10 to 12 years.
