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Marine Turtle Newsletter 3:6, © 1977

Dermochelys Coriacea in Captivity

Ross Witham
FL Dept. of Natural Resources, Marine Research Laboratory, 100 Eighth Ave, S.E., St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA

Sea turtle researchers have long been interested in studying the leatherback turtle in the laboratory but most efforts have been unsuccessful. Until recently, the most successful worker had been Deraniyagala (1939) who raised one to a maximum weight of 7.265 kg in 624 days. His turtle died on the 662nd day without, apparently, having gained more weight.

Deraniyagala fed his turtles a diet "... of fish, eggs, bread, the fleshy green Caulerpa alga found in 16 to 34 meters, and live young octopus." My observations of the feeding habits of young leatherbacks suggested that their natural diet must consist mainly of soft-bodied marine animals.

In captivity this species never learns the limits of its aquarium and, at least during daylight hours, swims incessantly into the sides. Protection, in the form of polyurethane foam padding or fine mesh netting suspended near the aquarium sides, is necessary to reduce the severity of skin abrasions which result from repeated contact with the aquarium sides. Because of the accumulation of organic material in polyurethane foam, netting is the more desirable material for this purpose.

On June 28, 1973, seven two-day old leatherback hatchlings were taken to Wometco Miami Seaquarium for growth studies. They were fed a diet of one species of jellyfish, Cassiopea xamachana, fortified with water soluble multi-vitamins. Four of the turtles died during the first month from undetermined causes. Another died after twentyÿ2Dseven weeks when an attempt was made to change its diet from jellyfish to fish. After two days on the fish diet the turtle died and postmortem examination revealed undigested fish blocking the digestive tract. The next to the last turtle died at the end of thirty-seven weeks of undetermined causes but it had lost weight continuously during the last four weeks of its life. The remaining turtle lived for 642 days and its death was attributed to septicemia. The septicemia may have developed from an in adequately treated abrasion on the head. Diligent treatment with potassium permanganate (Witham 1973) might well have controlled this problem.

Weekly weights were recorded during the first forty-six weeks of the study but suitable scales were not available for regularly weighing them after that time. Only two weights were recorded from that time until death of the last turtle. Weights, in kilograms, for three of the turtles are given in Table 1.

Table 1