Belize Biodiversity Information System

   Wildlife Conservation Society

   Ministry of Natural Resources' Land Information Centre

   01/19/98

  NAME -                 Leatherback sea turtle

  FAMILY -               Dermochelyidae
  SCIENTIFIC NAME -      Dermochelys coriacea

  SYNONYMS - Testudo coriacea, Vandelli, 1761 and Demochelys coriacea coriacea (Linnaeus)

  REFERENCES - 4 and 1

  National abundance, Conservation or Economic Status    Reference

  Cites I                                                    1
  U.S. ESA - Endangered                                      1
  IUCN - Endangered                                          1
  Rare: low density, unlikely to be seen, few localities     3
  

   - Comments on Status

  3 * Belize waters unspecified

  District                                                     Reference

  Belize, Belize                                                       3
  

  Administrative Unit                  Occurrence          Temporal    Reference

  Turneffe Reef                                                               3
  
  General Distribution Comments

  3 * Dead specimen

  References

  1  King, F. W. , R. L. Blake eds. 1989. Crocodilian, Tuatara, and Turtle
     Species of the World.  A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. ASC. Wash.
     DC. pp. 28-29.
  
  2  Meerman, J., 1994. Summary of Herpetofauna Distributions in Belize.
     Report to National Protected Areas Management Project.
  
  3  Smith, G.W., K.L. Eckert and J.P. Gibson. 1992.  WIDECAST sea turtle
     recovery action plan for Belize. CEP Technical report no. 18. UNEP
     Caribbean Environment Programme, Kingston, Jamaica. 86.pp.
  
  4  Lee, Julian C. 1996.  The Amphibians and Reptiles of the Yucatán
     Peninsula.  Comstock Publishing Associates. Ithaca, New York.