Leatherback sea turtles are incredible creatures, as if they came out of ancient legends. Their ancestors plied the oceans more than 200 million years ago, during the time of dinosaurs. They adapted to the most inhospitable and harsh conditions and learned to overcome gigantic distances from tropical regions to the Arctic Circle, navigating by an internal compass and the Earth's magnetic field. They can withstand lower temperatures than most fish and dive deeper than whales and seals. But today, the fate of this resilient species depends largely on humans.

Only two species of leatherback turtle survived until the Pleistocene and the Ice Age. And only one of them survived. So the modern leatherback turtle managed to survive the conditions that destroyed all other representatives of its family about a million years ago.

Karl Safina follows the migration routes of sea turtles - from California to Canada and the most remote beaches of Papua New Guinea. Reading this book, you will go on a fascinating journey through the waters of our planet, where the drama of the lives of turtles, swordfish, sharks, whales and people unfolds. On this journey, you will meet one of the most amazing creatures inhabiting our planet, and also learn how the oceans are changing and how this affects nature and man.

Not far from the shore, in shallow water, the backs of rays glitter, a school of long-finned horse mackerel swims by on patrol, and you can make out a couple of small sharks. They are all here for one reason: baby turtles are an excellent source of food. And when one of the horse mackerel jumps out of the foamy splashes for a second, I understand that the short life of one of the tiny turtles swimming towards the ocean has just been interrupted.

For whom
Karl Safina's texts can be defined as a separate genre - "lyrical non-fiction", in his books the boundaries between popular science texts about the animal world and extraordinary stories that reveal the unique personalities of animals merge.

This is what the turtles taught us: do everything you can, no matter what is against you. Grab the miracle of life, without thinking that you can fail. Whether you lose or win, all you can do is try your best. This is all you need to know to live on Earth.