Prolonged deep dives by the leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea: pushing their aerobic dive limits

Abstract

Air-breathing diving animals are capable of maintaining activity during prolonged dives fuelled by on-board oxygen stores. Leatherback turtles ( Dermochelys coriacea ) perform the deepest and longest dives among sea turtles, and are among the most prolific air-breathing divers. Here we report the longest dive duration for D. coriacea during an extremely deep dive (1186 m) that lasted 86.5 minutes. This dive duration exceeded previously published calculated aerobic dive limits by almost two-fold and extends our knowledge of the diving capacity of this species.