Leatherback turtles are listed as endangered under Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA) and they have a critically endangered listing on a worldwide basis. They are found in all of the major oceans in the world, except in the most extreme northern and southern latitudes, and consist of four major populations divided into Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and South China Sea groupings. One of the reasons they are so widely distributed is because they have the unique ability amongst reptiles to internally regulate their body heat. This means they can adapt to colder sea temperatures which they encounter once they move away from the tropical latitudes on either side of the equator. These turtles are true ocean wanderers, often following the currents for up to 15,000 km a year. One tagged specimen apparently traveled just over 30,000 km in a single year.
