The sea turtle was caught in the Ragay Gulf in Balatan, Camarines Sur.
Officials with the Philippines' Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources weighed and measured the turtle, which weighed in at 1,102 pounds and measured almost 6 feet long, before releasing it back to the sea.
Female leatherback turtle measuring 150cm long and 120cm wide with an estimated weight of not less than 300 kilos strands at Zone 3, Duran village in Balatan town, Camarines Sur wednesday midnight. Photo: Ronnie Relles pic.twitter.com/wkhbfzww7u
— TVPatrol Bicol (@TVPatrolBicol) November 22, 2018
Isang leatherback sea turtle na may tinatayang bigat na 500 kilo at habang 1.75 metro ang aksidenteng nalambat ng mangingisda sa Pararao, Balatan, Camarines Sur ngayong umaga. Matapos masuri ng mga taga BFAR ay agad itong ibinalik sa dagat. (📸BFAR Bicol) @gmanews @dzbb pic.twitter.com/DzSNz832gA
— peewee bacuño (@hero_peewee) November 22, 2018
Leatherbacks, sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle, is the largest turtle on the planet and can grow up to 7 feet long and weigh more than 2,000 pounds.
It was once plentiful in every ocean in the world except for the Arctic and Antarctic, according to National Geographic, but the leatherback population is on the decline in many areas.
The animal got its name from its unusual shell, which is "composed of a layer of thin, tough, rubbery skin, strengthened by thousands of tiny bone plates that makes it look 'leathery,'" the Sea Turtle Conservancy said.
The conservancy said the largest leatherback ever caught was almost 10 feet long from its beak to it tail and weighed almost 2,020 pounds.
How big is this leatherback turtle 🐢💚 pic.twitter.com/C634jqZ5fr
— Nature is Amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) September 19, 2018
Giant Leatherback sea turtle! pic.twitter.com/aEWsdxu9jb
— Back To Nature (@backt0nature) September 5, 2018
🐢 Leatherback Sea Turtles 🐢
— Turtle Savers (@TurtleSavers) November 20, 2018
The largest of all sea turtles, one of the largest reptiles on earth, it has been around for more than 150 million years! They survived the extinction of the dinosaurs but human interactions have now taken a major toll.#TuesdayThoughts #turtles pic.twitter.com/2pjRCvTUjk
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