Endangered leatherback turtle found dead on Aberdeenshire beach

A RARE leatherback sea turtle has washed up dead on an Aberdeenshire beach.

Volunteers Joe Hibbs and Isla Smith found the turtle on the Aberdeenshire coast. Picture: Andy Thompson

The reptile was found at the St Cyrus nature reserve on Friday.

The breed is critically endangered, with an estimated 26,000-40,000 breeding females around the world - down from more than 100,000 in 1980.

Leatherback turtles are found across the world but are rarely seen in the seas around the north-east of Scotland, with most sightings being made from Orkney and the Western Isles.

Volunteers alerted experts at the Scotland’s Rural College and used a quad bike to remove the turtle from the beach on Friday.

It is unclear how the reptile died.

A number of sea animals have been found dead on Scotland’s coastline in the wake of Storm Frank.

The turtles are listed by IUCN as vulnerable as a species, but many sub-populations are classed as critically endangered.