{"id":620243,"date":"2026-02-27T16:04:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T16:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/620243\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T16:04:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T16:04:14","slug":"photographs-confirm-almost-unheard-of-phenomenon-of-rare-ocean-giants-unbelievable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/620243\/","title":{"rendered":"Photographs confirm ‘almost unheard of’ phenomenon of rare ocean giants: ‘Unbelievable’"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week, just 4km off a popular city beach, a wildlife<\/a> photographer snapped a series of images showing something \u201calmost unheard of\u201d. Nathan Pettigrew was in his dinghy, a further 16km out at sea, when he got a call from another boat, informing him that the world\u2019s largest species of ocean turtle<\/a> had been spotted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey said you\u2019ve got to see this, so I raced to where they\u2019d been seen, and it was unbelievable,\u201d he said. \u201cIt takes a lot to get me excited, but I was absolutely fizzing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Critically endangered leatherback turtles can grow to 2 metres in length<\/a> and weigh up to 900kg, but they\u2019re ordinarily solitary creatures. What was extraordinary about the scene unfolding off Mount Maunganui on the North Island of New Zealand <\/a>was that there were at least five within 200 metres of each other.<\/p>\n

There were plenty of jellyfish in the water to eat, so Nathan was able to observe them for around two hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cI realised they weren\u2019t going anywhere, so I stopped and had a peanut butter sandwich,\u201d he told Yahoo News.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to capture more than one turtle at a time because they were “quite skittish”.<\/p>\n

“They were spread out. One would come up, and then another would go down,” he said.<\/p>\n

Video below confirms there were multiple leatherbacks in the same area.<\/p>\n

Marine expert describes phenomenon as ‘almost unheard of’<\/p>\n

New Zealand\u2019s Department of Conservation declared Nathan\u2019s sighting \u201cremarkable\u201d and said it highlights the importance of using pursuits like photography to support nature.<\/p>\n

Its senior marine sciences adviser, Dr Karen Middlemiss, said very little is known about leatherback behaviour in New Zealand waters, and the images, along with their date, time and location, will help inform ongoing research.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re hoping to satellite tag some of these magnificent turtles to learn how they use our waters,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

And she offered a theory about why there could have been so many leatherbacks in the same place.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s almost unheard of to see five leatherbacks together because they\u2019re generally solitary turtles,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey usually only group together if there is a feeding aggregation or they are close to nesting beaches, and these turtles don\u2019t nest here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Close<\/p>\n

Close up of a critically endangered leatherback turtle off Mount Maunganui. Source: Nathan Pettigrew<\/p>\n

In January, six people were killed during a landslip at a holiday park in Mount Maunganui<\/a>, following record rainfall.<\/p>\n

The deaths have devastated the community, leaving many angry at the natural world.<\/p>\n

Nathan has lived in the area for 40 years, and as the community heals, he hopes his images provide a reminder of the environment\u2019s kinder side.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey might make people stop and think about how awesome nature can be, and take their mind off some of the bad stuff that\u2019s happened,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s really nice, it really is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you have a story tip? Email: <\/strong>newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can also follow us on <\/strong>Facebook<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>Instagram<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>TikTok<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>Twitter<\/strong><\/a> and <\/strong>YouTube<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n