In Dakhla, we are used to seeing the carcasses of whales, dolphins, sharks, or other marine animals. In the memory of fishermen or visitors to the region's beaches, never has a turtle as large as the one washed up on Oum Labouir beach, five kilometres north of Dakhla, been cast ashore by the ocean in the vicinity.

According to some, it is a Leatherback turtle, a species listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as "critically endangered" and of which only a little over 100,000 specimens remain in the world. According to others, the turtle discovered near Dakhla is an even rarer species called Ridges.

The remains of the turtle were discovered by a walker who indicated that while doing his daily jog, he discovered a giant turtle washed up on this beach, which is generally very busy. A French tourist who came to spend her holidays in Dakhla pointed out that while walking on this beautiful beach, she discovered this black behemoth. Seeing it from afar, she had not paid attention to it, thinking it was a rock like many others. But upon approaching it, she realised it was a turtle.

The local maritime authorities provided no explanation for the unusual presence of this animal on a beach or the causes of its death.