One of the world’s largest turtles has been washed up in a Cornish harbour.
The dead leatherback turtle was found at Portreath yesterday.
The news was reported by the Marine Conservation Society on its Twitter page, where it described the news as “sad.”
It urged all turtle sightings to be reported on its website, via mcsuk.org/sightings/turtles.
The leatherback sea turtle is the largest of all living turtles and is the fourth-heaviest modern reptile behind three types of crocodile.
What makes it different to other sea turtles is the lack of a bony shell, hence its “leatherback” name.
Adult leatherbacks can weigh anywhere between 250kg and a whopping 700kg - more than a speedboat or four pianos put together - and range between 1.8m and 2.2m in length.
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