Massive sea turtle found dead near Callahan's Beach in Fort Salonga

A massive and rare leatherback sea turtle was found dead near Callahan’s Beach in Fort Salonga on Wednesday morning, authorities said. 

The male turtle, nearly 5 feet long, had several deep lacerations on its back consistent with a vessel strike, said officials with the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, a not-for-profit that responds to reports of dead or entangled marine animals in New York State. Authorities buried the animal without weighing it, but similar specimens weighed around 700 pounds, said Robert DiGiovanni Jr., chief scientist for the agency.

“This was probably a young animal, like a teenager,” he said. “It probably spent a number of years wandering around the Atlantic,” ranging as far north as Nova Scotia and as far south as the Caribbean. It might have entered the Sound in search of jellyfish, its preferred food, DiGiovanni said.  

Leatherbacks, the largest turtle species, emerged during the time of the dinosaurs but are now listed as endangered by federal wildlife officials.  

The significance of the Fort Salonga finding was not immediately apparent, DiGiovanni said. The Conservation Society has counted 12 sea turtle deaths this year, most from vessel strikes, and this is the first leatherback death of the year. But scientists are unsure of the size of the local population, partly because they routinely travel great distances.

“If this is one of a very few number of animals that are here, then it’ll have a lot bigger impact, but if there are a lot more animals, this might be a smaller issue,” he said.

The Conservation Society has had other reports of leatherbacks in the Sound and “we think that this is becoming a more common occurrence, but why that is is not well understood,” DiGiovanni said. 

Anyone who sees a leatherback or another sea turtle — live or dead — can help researchers by calling the state marine mammal and sea turtle stranding hotline at 631-369-9829, he said. Boaters who think they may have struck one can call the group or notify the Coast Guard. 

Boaters can minimize strikes by navigating like drivers in a school zone, DiGiovanni said: “Be careful and be cautious.” 

By Nicholas Spangler

nicholas.spangler@newsday.comspanglernewsday

Nicholas Spangler is a general assignment reporter and has worked at Newsday since 2010.