Notes on the capture of a rare leathery turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) in Johore waters
This note by C. Boden Kloss documents the capture of a large male leathery turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) in Johore Strait in March 1905, providing measurements, a description of its appearance, and notes on its local significance.
The turtle was found entangled in the fishing stakes of a Malay kelong at Kampong Batu Jawa after several days of damage to the screens and nets. Kloss estimated its weight at between 900 and 1,000 pounds, with a total length of 234 cm and a flipper span of 240 cm (p. 61). The carapace and plastron had a mosaic-like appearance, and the head was free from shields. The stomach contents consisted mainly of small fishes, prawns, and crustaceans with some vegetable matter (p. 62). Kloss notes that the local Malay name “kambau” was applied to the animal, a term also used for anything slow or sleepy. The specimen could not be preserved in its entirety due to its putrid state, but the skeleton was extracted with the help of gaol prisoners (p. 62). Kloss identifies this as the second recorded capture of the species in the Malayan seas, the first being a smaller specimen obtained by A. M. Skinner at Tanjong Katong, Singapore, in 1884 and now in the Raffles Museum (p. 62). Photographs of the individual are reproduced as plates, as prior illustrations of the species were considered inaccurate (p. 63).