Rantau Abang Turtle Conservation and Information personnel measuring the leatherback turtle that landed on the beach before it returned to the sea early this morning. (Bernama pic)DUNGUN: The Rantau Abang beach here has once again drawn attention as a leatherback turtle came ashore to lay eggs in the early hours of this morning.

Fisheries department director-general Adnan Hussain said the latest landing by the world's largest turtle species was the fifth recorded along the Terengganu coast since September.

The turtle came ashore at about 3am, laid its eggs at 4.30am and returned to the sea at around 5.45am as the tide came in.

A total of 48 eggs were collected and transferred to a controlled hatchery at the Rantau Abang Turtle Conservation and Information Centre (TCIC) at 7am for monitoring.