A leatherback turtle washed up on a beach in Finistère will be autopsied

The corpse of a leatherback turtle ran aground on Reun beach in Treffiagat (Finistère) on Tuesday.

The animal weighing at least 300 kg and with a wingspan of 1.80 m was discovered by two walkers and then transported to the technical services of the city with a backhoe loader, reports

.

An autopsy of the reptile will be carried out by the center for studies and care for sea turtles in La Rochelle to determine the causes of death.

Threatened with extinction

"During the autopsy, found more than 50% of plastic in the digestive tract," says the

 Florence Dell Amico, manager CESTM.

The leatherback turtle is the largest of the current seven species of sea turtle and is threatened with extinction.

"It is important to notify us of their presence for our scientific data," warns the specialist.

According to our colleagues, 145 leatherback turtles were listed on the Atlantic coast in 2019 and 68 had been found dead, washed up on the beach.

The animal normally only goes to the sand to deposit its eggs.

It lives in the open sea and is currently migrating north in search of jellyfish.

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