Pearl Jam's Turtle Outswims R.E.M.'s

Backspacer, the 375-kilogram female leatherback turtle sponsored by Pearl Jam, is the winner of The Great Turtle Race.

The competition began in Atlantic Canada on April 16 and ended off the coast of Venezuela yesterday (Monday). The race was sponsored by National Geographic and Conservation International in an effort to help protect sea turtles and raise funds to preserve their nesting and feeding habits.

Backspacer edged out Seabiscuit by a mere 14 metres. The R.E.M.-sponsored Nightswimmer, a 440-kilogram female leatherback, ended up in sixth place 577 metres from the finish line. You can see the results and some race statistics here.

Here's Backspacer's coach, U.S. Olympic swimmer Eric Shanteau, cheering her across the finish line:

Even though Backspacer won the race, Pearl Jam fans can still show their support for the turtle and other competitors by donating money to the Pearl Jam Audience Favorite Challenge here. All donations will be matched dollar for dollar and the winner will be announced tomorrow (Wednesday).

Pearl Jam will come out of their song licensing shell when 16 of their tracks are featured in the two-part season finale of CBS' Cold Case that will air on May 3 and 10. Several of the songs will be from the recently reissued Ten.

A Pearl Jam documentary could be released to coincide with the band's 20th anniversary.

Pearl Jam have these dates scheduled:

Aug. 13 Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Ahoy
Aug. 15 Berlin, Germany @ Wulheide
Aug. 17 Manchester, England @ Manchester Evening Nnews Arena
Aug. 18 London, England @ O2 Arena
Aug. 28-30 San Francisco, CA @ Golden Gate Park (Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival)
Oct. 4 Austin, TX @ Zilker Park (Austin City Limits Festival)