VietNamNet Bridge - A black sea turtle, nearly two meters long and nearly 200 kilos in weight was caught by fishermen in the central province of the Nghe An’s Quynh Luu district on May 2.

With a soft black carapace covered with white spots and stripes of thorns, the turtle is thought to be a rare leatherback turtle.

The turtle was roped by fishermen in Tien Thuy commune, in Quynh Luu district on May.

Local people said that this is the first time they saw such a turtle. Curious people flocked to Tien Thuy commune to see the strange turtle.

Ho Hoang Nghiep, Chair of Tien Thuy commune, told VNExpress news wire on May 2 that the turtle is in a healthy condition. The fishermen who caught the turtle wanted to slaughter or sell it. Local officials were trying to convene them to release the turtle to the sea, he said.

However, the turtle was released back into the sea on May. The authorities paid the fishermen VND10 million (US$500) for the reptile.

Earlier, a fisherman in Quynh Luu district captured a sea turtle of 1m long and 70kg in weight in January 2011. The fisherman was honored by the local authorities for releasing the turtle back to the sea.

The leatherback sea turtle (scientifically named Dermochelys coriacea) is the largest of all living sea turtles and the fourth largest modern reptile. It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys.

It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell.

Instead, its carapace is covered by skin and oily flesh.

An adult leatherback turtle can be 1–2 meters long and weigh 250 to 700 kilograms. The leatherback is usually found in all tropical and subtropical oceans.

Some photos of the giant turtle:

Source: VNE/Dan Tri