The most extraordinary specimen of all shelled marine reptiles, the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) was introduced to the scientific world in 1554 by French naturalist Guilaume Rondelet. Before Rondelet, these turtles were placed in the same category as mythical sea serpents. He described the beast as been huge in size and possessing the hide of an ox, tough and black. The leatherback is a true relic of an ancient marine world, being the only surviving member of the Dermoc