The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) has been called Mercury's turtle since the Middle Ages (Rondelet 1554), because its teardrop body plan and ridges resemble the shape and strings of Mercury's instrument, the lyre (leut, luc, or luth in French, laúd in Spanish). And, because Mercury was the winged Roman messenger god, leatherbacks should perhaps be considered winged messengers themselves. Certainly, their graceful underwater flight, as illustrated on our cover, makes them appear winged as they glide through their blue watery oceanic realm, but they are also messengers—the harbingers of pelagic environmental change and threats occurring within their habitat. We would do well to heed their silent message, and this journal issue addresses many of the concerns relating to their survival.
Over a decade has passed since Chelonian Conservation and Biology published the initial special focus issue on the leatherback turtle (Vol. 2, No. 2,...
