Rare leatherback turtle spotted in Indonesia

[February 17, 2011]  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Conservationists say they got a rare glimpse of a 6-foot (2-meter) -long leatherback -- the world's most endangered sea turtle -- together with dozens of eggs in western Indonesia.

Khairul Amra, a member of a local conservation group, said Thursday that the giant turtle was spotted on a beach on Sumatra island over the weekend just before it plunged into the water.

Soon after 65 eggs thought to belong to the leatherback were found in a nest -- the third such discovery on the same beach this year.

Leatherbacks, which can grow up to 9 feet (3 meters) long, have roamed the oceans for 100 million years, but the globe-trotting sea turtles today number only around 30,000.

Their biggest threats are commercial fishing and egg hunters.

[Associated Press]

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