Mr. Leatherback profile picture

Mr. Leatherback

I Am Mr. Leatherback

About Me

New photos from July 2007!! My Tibetan pilgrimage...

I am a sleek world traveler. I am the James Bond of the animal kingdom. I am the largest reptile on Earth. I am rare. I am one of a kind - the last of my evolutionary line. I am nearly extinct. I am Mr. Leatherback.

Most people call me Mr. Leatherback, though my friends and family call me a lot of other things - Big L, Mr. L, Fat Daddy, Jelly Mouth, Old Man of the Sea, Baula....

In case you don't know, I'm a leatherback sea turtle - a rare, unique, and endangered reptile who loves to travel. I go everywhere. And I'm pretty much cooler than all other animals. I'm also about to go extinct unless people start making some changes. It's not too late, but we're running low on time. It's my dream to travel the world, and right now I don't have much time left on this planet. Which is why you should help me. If you help me by making some really small changes in your life, I'll continue to post my photos from all over the place.

How can you help me? It's easy! Avoid most tuna . Don't eat swordish. No more shrimp . The ways most of these fish are caught also catches and kills sea turtles, sharks, seabirds, seals and other marine mammals. Shrimp farms clear coastal habitat, and wild caught shrimp catches sea turtles and destroys underwater habitats. In fact, for every pound of shrimp caught, there are 9 pounds of other animals that are caught and thrown away. And stop using plastic bags!!! Just say "I don't need a bag, thanks". They blow into the ocean, and in the water they look just like jellyfish. My eyesight isn't so good, and I eat them accidentally. Aside from tasting nasty, they can make me choke and drown.

Learn more:
Conservation International - Sea Turtles
The State of the World's Sea Turtles
Monterey Bay Aquarium - Seafood Watch
Save The Leatherback
Plastic Debris - Rivers to Sea
Take Action To Reduce Plastic Bags
The Leatherback Trust


MY TRAVEL PHOTOS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

My Interests

I'd like to meet:

Cool people who care to help a brother out.

Music:

I can't hear so good. But I do dig Pearl Jam, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Movies:

The Life Aquatic, Point Break, Blue Lagoon, Jaws, Blue Planet, Hunt For Red October, Finding Nemo, The Last Journey of the Leatherback, The Little Mermaid

Television:

Alf - the only show I've ever really related to. And I guess some episodes of Harry and the Hendersons.

Books:

Can't really turn pages so well. No fingers.

Heroes:

You.

My Blog

I'm famous - Mr. Leatherback on BBC News!

Hi friends,I wanted to share with you my first news appearance, on BBC News!  Check it out!  I think I look pretty good on film.http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/new sid_692...
Posted by Mr. Leatherback on Tue, 31 Jul 2007 12:58:00 PST

Win a Trip to the Galapagos - Great Turtle Race finish line

Since leatherbacks aren't eligible to apply, I wanted to let you know about a great opportunity to visit the finish line of The Great Turtle Race - one of the most amazing places on Earth if you ask m...
Posted by Mr. Leatherback on Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:13:00 PST

Hello from Tibet !! New photos.

Wow. It has been a busy couple of months!!! I've barely surfaced for air since The Great Turtle Race ended!  I've been so busy traveling the world and sharing our message about saving sea turtl...
Posted by Mr. Leatherback on Tue, 10 Jul 2007 02:15:00 PST

Stone Gossard donating to Conservation International

Remember how I told you a few weeks ago that Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard was going to donate to Conservation International if we could raise enough money for them on our own??  Well, thanks to...
Posted by Mr. Leatherback on Thu, 10 May 2007 08:37:00 PST

Take the plastic bag pledge!

With the race over, life is going back to normal for the eleven leatherbacks who took part. They're doing swimmingly, and asked me to send you their regards and thanks for all the support. They're swi...
Posted by Mr. Leatherback on Thu, 03 May 2007 02:40:00 PST

Great Turtle Race wrap-up

We've had a lot of fun over the past two weeks of The Great Turtle Race. It has been an amazing opportunity for me to talk with all of you about leatherbacks like me - we're pretty amazing and be...
Posted by Mr. Leatherback on Tue, 01 May 2007 09:00:00 PST

Your favorite fishes...

Once again, you totally overwhelmed my email box! I'm swimming in responses to my "What's your favorite fish?" question  here are some of my favorites (photos are below!):   - From Joaquin, "If ...
Posted by Mr. Leatherback on Fri, 27 Apr 2007 02:04:00 PST

Breaking news! More turtles are finishing!

Earlier this morning, Stephanie Colburtle crossed into the finish zone, placing second in The Great Turtle Race. And although her honorary sponsor, Stephen Colbert, may not agree with the result,...
Posted by Mr. Leatherback on Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:35:00 PST

Great Turtle Race on the Colbert Report again!

Last night, Stephen Colbert discussed the end of The Great Turtle Race, Billie's win, and Stephanie Colburtle's second place finish on the Colbert Report...  check it out! ...
Posted by Mr. Leatherback on Fri, 27 Apr 2007 07:19:00 PST

Galapagos slideshow! See the finish zone!

Now that all the ladies are entering the finish zone, I thought I'd put together a slideshow to show you where they've been headed - the Galapagos Islands. They're an amazing place - you'll understand...
Posted by Mr. Leatherback on Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:44:00 PST