A leatherback turtle can weigh up to 900 kilograms — as much as a small car. They are built for open ocean swimming and can dive deeper than almost any other reptile, sometimes going 1,200 metres below the surface to catch jellyfish, which are their favourite food.
Female leatherbacks return to the same beach where they were born to lay their eggs. They come ashore at night, dig a deep hole in the sand with their flippers, lay around 80 eggs, cover them up and then return to the sea. About two months later, tiny hatchlings dig their way up through the sand and scramble toward the water.
Angola's long, undisturbed sandy beaches are important nesting grounds for leatherbacks. Watching a leatherback come ashore is described as one of the most magical experiences in nature. The turtles are slow and calm on the beach, focused entirely on the important task of laying their eggs safely.