All these attributes make the Leatherback uniquely equipped to travel great distances to forage for food. The female lays clutches of around 100 eggs on sandy, tropical beaches and will nest several times during the nesting season. Leatherback hatchlings emerge from the nest after 60-65 days. This species does not have the crushing chewing plates usual to sea turtles, who eat hard-bodied prey, but instead have pointed tooth-like cusps and sharp-edged jaws for eating soft open ocean prey, like jellyfish - and the backward-pointing spines in the turtles' mouths and throats help retain the gelatinous food.