Ranging further than any other reptile, the leatherback turtle can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, and also in the Mediterranean Sea. In Canada, leatherbacks have been sighted off the coasts of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The turtle has also been seen-though far less frequently-off the coast of British Columbia.

Leatherbacks nest on the warm tropical beaches of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. After mating with a male just off shore, the female waits for nightfall before clambering up the beach, digging a shallow pit in the sand, and depositing her eggs. The female then buries the eggs with her hind flippers and compacts the sand with the weight of her body before crawling back to the sea. Although females lay between 60 and 90 eggs at time, only a few hatchlings will survive to grow to adulthood and breed. Those turtles that survive will spend 10 to 15 years at sea before returning to breed at the same beach where they hatched.

While we know that life is perilous for tiny hatchling leatherback turtles and that few survive to adulthood, we don't know where hatchlings go between the time they first enter the ocean and the time they return to their nesting beaches as adults. Sightings of young turtles are extremely rare.

The world's largest reptile, the leatherback turtle's upper shell-or carapace-can grow to more than two metres in length. The leatherback is also the only sea turtle that does not have a hard shell. Instead, its carapace (which is a dark bluish-black color) is covered with leathery skin: hence the turtle's name. The skin covers a thick layer of fat, tissue and bony plates that fit together like a jigsaw.

The leatherback turtle has front and rear flippers, but unlike other sea turtles these flippers have no claws. The turtle's front flippers are often half as long as its carapace. The leatherback's body is teardrop-shaped, tapering at the rear. The bottom of the turtle's shell is pinkish white.

Each leatherback turtle has a pink patch on the top of its head. While we know that each pink patch is as unique as a person's fingerprint, we don't know what purpose it serves. Some scientists believe the patch might help the turtle sense light or determine its location in the ocean.