The Peruvian Walking Sea Turtle were presumably re-discovered by
Chinese zoologist
Ping Long-Wang in 1963 along the coasts of Peru.
Ping noted the peculiar way in which these turtles walked on land, much unlike other sea turtles in the oceans.
The Peruvian Walking Sea Turtle's have a declining population, and biologists assume that the species have been hunted to near extinction for their
meat. The current predicted population is 234 as of 2009, and is on a continued decline.
The species is only found in Peru, and is hunted illegally by
Japanese fisherman and hunters today, despite the governmental protection given to the species.
Scientists predict that this rare species will be eradicated by 2015.
The fastest recorded
speed of the Peruvian Walking Sea Turtle is
15 k/m on land.
Sightings of these animals are extremely rare. Aside from those in captivity, the last recorded sighting was in
2007. This may be because they are very hard to pick out from ordinary sea turtles, and they are extremely rare on land.
Peruvian Walking Sea Turtle's come in various colors.
Green on the females for camouflage. Purple on the males to attract other females. The brighter the purple, the more attention from females.
