Community Corner

Scientists Report Decline In Giant Sea Turtles Sightings Off West Coast

The number of western Pacific leatherbacks in the foraging population off of California has plummeted 80 percent in the past 30 years.

CBS San Francisco's profile picture
CBS San Francisco, News Partner
If nothing changes, scientists say, the leatherbacks — creatures that can weigh half as much as a compact car and have 4-foot-long flippers — could be gone from the U.S. West Coast within three decades.
If nothing changes, scientists say, the leatherbacks — creatures that can weigh half as much as a compact car and have 4-foot-long flippers — could be gone from the U.S. West Coast within three decades. (Renee Schiavone/Patch)

CBS San Francisco

MONTEREY (CBS SF/AP) — Nearly 40 years ago, scientists documented stranded sea turtles on California’s beaches and noticed that leatherbacks — massive sea turtles that date to the time of the dinosaurs — were among those washing up on shore.

It was strange because the nearest known population of the giants was several thousand miles away in the waters of Central and South America.

Find out what's happening in San Franciscofor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Their mysterious presence led researchers to a startling discovery. A subset of leatherbacks that hatches on beaches in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands were migrating 7,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean to the cold waters off the U.S. West Coast, where they gorged on jellyfish before swimming back. The epic journey stunned scientists.

CBS Local Digital Media personalizes the global reach of CBS-owned and operated television and radio stations with a local perspective.

Find out what's happening in San Franciscofor free with the latest updates from Patch.

More from San Francisco