. Current herpetology. Reptiles; Herpetology. Current Herpetology 21(2): 95-97, December 2002 © 2002 by The Herpetological Society of Japan First Nesting Record of the Leatherback Turtle, Dermochelys coriacea^ in Japan Naoki KAMEZAKI^'^*, Katsuki OKI^ KOUJIRO MIZUNO^ Taichiro TOJI^ AND OSAMU DOI^ ^ Sea Turtle Association of Japan, Nagaomotomachi 5-17-18-302, Hirakata, Osaka 573-0163, JAPAN ^ Department of Ecosystem Studies, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8657, JAPAN ^ Amami Marine Exhibition Hall, Ohama 701-1, Naze, Kagoshima 894-0046, JAPAN ^ Department of Biological Resour
. Current herpetology. Reptiles; Herpetology. Current Herpetology 21(2): 95-97, December 2002 © 2002 by The Herpetological Society of Japan First Nesting Record of the Leatherback Turtle, Dermochelys coriacea^ in Japan Naoki KAMEZAKI^'^*, Katsuki OKI^ KOUJIRO MIZUNO^ Taichiro TOJI^ AND OSAMU DOI^ ^ Sea Turtle Association of Japan, Nagaomotomachi 5-17-18-302, Hirakata, Osaka 573-0163, JAPAN ^ Department of Ecosystem Studies, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8657, JAPAN ^ Amami Marine Exhibition Hall, Ohama 701-1, Naze, Kagoshima 894-0046, JAPAN ^ Department of Biological Resources and Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Gifu University. Yanagido 1-1, Gifu 501-1193, JAPAN Abstract: Nesting of the leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea in Japan was confirmed for the first time on the basis of two nests, each containing a clutch of eggs, found on Katoku Beach of Amami-oshima Island, central Ryukyus. There were no indications of development in eggs obtained from them. These nests were likely to have been made by the same individual. Key words: leatherback turtle; Dermochelys coriacea', nesting; Ryukyu Archipelago; Japan The leatherback turtle, Dermochelys coria- cea, is the largest species of the extant marine turtles, and is known from almost the entire area of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans (Marquez, 1990). The major nesting grounds of the Pacific populations of this species are confined to a few small areas in the tropics, such as Trengganu in Malaysia (Fitter, 1961), northwestern New Guinea (Salm, 1981), * Corresponding author. Tel:+81-72-864^335; Fax: +81-72-864-0535 E-mail address: (N. Kamezaki) the Solomon Islands (McKeown, 1977), and the western coast of central America (Prit- chard and Trebbau, 1984). Although the leatherback is sometimes found in waters adjacent to Japan, nesting of this species has never been recorded with substantial evidence in Japan (Kamezaki, 1994). We report discov- ery of two nests of the
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