The
leatherback sea turtle (
Dermochelys coriacea), sometimes called the
lute turtle or
leathery turtle, is the largest of all living
turtles and is the fourth-heaviest modern
reptile behind three
crocodilians. It is the only living
species in the genus
Dermochelys and family
Dermochelyidae. It can easily be differentiated from other modern
sea turtles by its lack of a
bony shell, hence the name. Instead, its
carapace is covered by skin and oily flesh.
Dermochelys is the
only extant genus of the
family Dermochelyidae.