# Where Do Leatherback Sea Turtles Live?

> Where leatherback sea turtles live: Oceans worldwide from tropics to Arctic edges, native range cues, and human overlap. Status Vulnerable.

- **Species:** Leatherback Sea Turtle (*Dermochelys coriacea*)
- **Conservation status:** Vulnerable
- **Diet:** Carnivore — jellyfish and salps almost exclusively
- **Habitat:** Oceans worldwide from tropics to Arctic edges
- **Lifespan:** 40–45 years in the wild
- **Top speed:** Up to 35 km/h (22 mph) swimming
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/leatherback-turtle/where-do-leatherback-turtle-live/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/leatherback-turtle/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The leatherback is the largest sea turtle in the world and one of the widest-ranging reptiles, swimming across every ocean from the tropics to the cold edges of the Arctic. It reaches 1.8 m (6 ft) long, weighs 250 to 700 kg (550 to 1,540 lb) and feeds almost entirely on jellyfish. A strong swimmer, it can move at up to 35 km/h (22 mph) and lives around 40 to 45 years. The IUCN lists it as Vulnerable.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## A shell like no other turtle

Unlike every other sea turtle, the leatherback has no hard bony shell. Instead its back is covered by a layer of tough, rubbery, oil-saturated skin over a mosaic of tiny bones, giving the animal its name. Seven raised ridges run the length of this teardrop-shaped body, streamlining it for a life of constant swimming. This flexible design lets the leatherback dive deeper than any other turtle, plunging beyond 1,000 m in search of prey.

## Help protect the Leatherback Sea Turtle

The leatherback sea turtle is listed as Vulnerable, with habitat loss the leading threat to its future.

[Donate to protect habitat](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/appeals/habitats/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/leatherback-turtle/where-do-leatherback-turtle-live/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.