What’s been around since dinosaurs roamed the earth, is nearly the size of a Mini Cooper, and may soon go the way of the dodo? If you answered the leatherback turtle, you’re ready for the Great Turtle Race.

While managing this unique project at Yahoo! for the last four months, I’ve become a veritable expert on these amazing creatures. Beginning today, 11 leatherback turtles outfitted with satellite tracking devices will swim from Playa Grande, Costa Rica, to the Galapagos Islands to promote conservation and survival of their kind. This endangered species has declined by 90% in the Pacific over the past 20 years, thanks to various human misdeeds such as gillnet fishing, development, pollution, poaching, and climate change. I’m super excited to spread the word about this cause because these turtles may only have ten years left without our help.

In conjunction with the Leatherback Trust, Conservation International, and Tagging of Pacific Predators, Yahoo! created an interactive site to educate the public on leatherback turtles and conservation and keep everyone up-to-date on the race. Each turtle in the race has a benefactor, ranging from Yahoo! to Travelocity to Plantronics to Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream. I’m quite fond of Yahoo!’s mascot, Purple Lightning, who sports two jet packs and a lightning bolt, but I don’t want to sway your decision on who to root for. Go to the site, research all the leatherbacks, and cheer on your favorite one!

One of the most popular turtles right now is Stephanie Colbertle, in honor of Stephen Colbert, who actually featured her on the “Colbert Report” last week. Here’s a clip of the segment:

It’s not all fun and cartoons. This race will help supply important oceanic data. As the leatherbacks surface to breathe every couple minutes, the satellite tags transmit information on geo-location, water temperature and water depth to satellites in space and then back down to servers in nearly real time. That data is then combined with remotely sensed data about sea surface temperature, height and more to build a more comprehensive understanding of the ocean. Sea turtles are the ocean’s equivalent of canaries in coalmines, and their decline may signal more bad news if we don’t take action.

Check out this video to see how the turtles are outfitted with their satellite vests and to watch exclusive footage of the giant leatherbacks making their nests. Enjoy some amazing photos by nature photographer Jason Bradley. Then tell all your friends, family, and co-workers.

Thanks for reading. Hope you pick the winning turtle!

Randy Ksar
President of the Purple Lightning Fan Club