The leathery turtle is the most distinctive of the marine turtles being placed in a separate family,
of which it is the only representative. It is also the largest marine turtle and reptile generally, but
also one of the largest living creatures on the Earth. Carapace can be even more than 3 m long,
and the whole animals can weight more than 500 kg.
Carapace of this species is covered by a smooth skin, which is black, often spotted with withe,
and without scutes.
The leathery is a truly pelagic species, primarily distributed in tropical areas.
Nevertheless, some specimens were recorded even in Arctic waters.
The major nesting sites of this species are in eastern Malaya, French Guiana, Costa Rica, but also, although in small number, in Surinam, Sri Lanka, Fiji islands and Tongaland coast of Natal.
Although there are data about leathery in the Mediterranean, apparently there are not known nesting sites. Leathery turtle were also recorded in several occasion in the Adriatic Sea also.