Nesting of the Leatherback Turtle, Dermochelys coriacea in Pacific Mexico, with a New Estimate of the World Population Status

An aerial survey of the shorelines of the Mexican Pacific states of Michoacan, Guerrero and Oaxaca revealed that nesting by the leatherback turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, occurs in a greater density and over a much greater extent than previously documented. Leatherbacks in this area are referable to a single breeding population which is by far the largest known. A preliminary estimate of the size of this population combined with available information on other populations gives a new world population estimate of 115,000 mature females. Because of severe stresses on all major populations of the species, endangered status is still considered justified.