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Why do only a small number of leatherback hatchlings survive their first year?

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Illustrations of ten representative chelonians, including spiny softshell turtle, Galapagos giant tortoise, green turtle, alligator snapping turtle, Blanding's turtle, common map turtle, eastern box turtle, eastern painted turtle, spotted turtle, and eastern mud turtle, each labeled with its common and scientific name. A scale bar at the bottom shows size comparison. — turtle Turtles (order Testudines).

Only about 6 percent of leatherback sea turtle hatchlings survive their first year. This low survival rate is primarily due to the significant threats they face immediately after hatching and during their early life stages.1

On land, hatchlings are highly vulnerable to predation by various animals, including seabirds, raccoons, dogs, and ghost crabs. Once they reach the ocean, they face further dangers, including predation by marine animals such as killer whales and tiger sharks. Additionally, hatchlings must navigate their environment without any parental care, making them susceptible to environmental hazards and human-related threats, such as entanglement in fishing nets or the ingestion of plastic pollution.1

It is a fundamental ethical imperative to protect these vulnerable creatures and their habitats from human-driven threats like pollution and habitat destruction to ensure the survival of the species.1