EMYSystem Text Only Family Page: Dermochelyidae
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order..........TESTUDINES (turtles, tortoises and terrapins)
family...........Dermochelyidae (Leatherback Turtles)
subfamily.......no_subfamily
genus
species
genera list
Dermochelys
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Note - informational or help links appear in red.
- Original Description
- Fitzinger 1843 : 30
- Original name
- Dermatochelydae
- Common Name
- Leatherback Turtles
- Distribution
- All tropical and temperate oceans
- Comments
- Smith and Smith (1979:231-233) and King and Burke (1989:27) explain the history of the family name. Reviewed by Smith and Smith (1979), Cogger et al. (1983), and Pritchard and Trebbau (1984). Frair (1979, 1982a) suggested that this family should be included as a subfamily in the Cheloniidae, but this has not been generally accepted (e.g., see Pritchard and Trebbau, 1984).
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