Which sea turtle species is known for the longest migration, over 2,000 miles to nest?

The leatherback sea turtle is known for exceptionally long migrations, traveling more than 2,000 miles between feeding grounds and nesting beaches.

Unlike most sea turtles, leatherbacks spend much of their lives in the open ocean. Their flexible, rubbery shell and thick layer of body fat help them survive in colder waters, allowing them to cross entire ocean basins in pursuit of jellyfish.

Female leatherbacks return to land to lay eggs, often nesting several times during a season. Satellite tracking has recorded journeys far longer than 2,000 miles; one leatherback traveled more than 12,000 miles between Indonesia and feeding grounds near Oregon.

A common mix-up is the Arctic tern, which holds the famous bird-migration record, while leatherbacks are reptiles. Loggerhead and olive ridley turtles also migrate widely, but the leatherback is the canonical answer for the longest reptile migration.