Trinidad & Tobago supports one of the largest leatherback sea turtle nesting populations in the world.
The island of Trinidad hosts more than 80% of all leatherback sea turtle nesting in the insular Caribbean Sea and is the 2nd largest nesting colony in the world with an estimated 6,000 leatherbacks nesting annually. During peak season some beaches report up to 300 nesting leatherbacks in a single night.
Photography by Stephen Broadbridge
The endangered Leatherback Turtle is the largest of all living sea turtles. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell, instead it is covered by thick, leathery skin and oily flesh.
Leatherback turtles have the most hydrodynamic body design of any sea turtle, with a large, teardrop-shaped body. The entire turtle's dorsal surface is colored dark grey to black, with a scattering of white blotches and spots. In contrast, the turtle's underside is lightly colored.
Leatherback turtles have the most hydrodynamic body design of any sea turtle, with a large, teardrop-shaped body. The entire turtle's dorsal surface is colored dark grey to black, with a scattering of white blotches and spots. In contrast, the turtle's underside is lightly colored.
Like all sea turtles, leatherbacks start as hatchlings, climbing out of the sands of their nesting beaches. Hatchlings are about the size of a young teenagers hand. Tiny baby turtles face many coastal predators during incubation and in their early life as they scamper towards the ocean and slip into the tumbling surf to make their way seaward.
Form studies. Charcoal, Ink + Watercolour paint
Final Character design - Leatherback turtle hatchling - Signature Pose
Final Character design - Leatherback turtle hatchling - Alternate Pose
Final Character design - Leatherback turtle hatchling - Alternate Pose 2
