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 Loggerhead Turtle

Image Credit: NOAA


 Loggerhead Turtle
Research Links »


 National Marine Sanctuaries Where Loggerhead Turtles Can Be Found:
  Stellwagen Bank
Monitor
Gray's Reef
Florida Keys
Flower Garden Banks

 Related Environmental Issues:
  Point Source - Oil Spills
Non-Point Source - Runoff
Habitat Loss
Plastics
Aquaculture
Bycatch
Climate Change

 Activities Related to Loggerhead Turtles:
 

 Other Resources Related to Loggerhead Turtles:
  Sea Turtle Tracking
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This audio clip gives some good information about sea turtle tracking.


Pacific Ocean is a Turtle Highway
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Experts say that Loggerhead Turtles travel back and forth across the wide Pacific.


Turtle Escaping from Fishing Nets
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NMFS video shows a turtle escaping from a net through a Turtle Excluder Device.


Sea Turtles Dig the Dark
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Public Service Announcement put out by the Fish and Wildlife Service to protect sea turtle nesting habitats.





Scientific Name: Caretta caretta

Category: Sea Turtles

What is the Loggerhead Turtle and What Does it Look Like?

Loggerhead turtles are the largest population of sea turtles in the U.S. coastal waters. These creatures have a heart-shaped shell that is reddish-brown. The rest of its body is brown and yellow. They grow to be about 1 meter long and weigh about 115 kilograms. Loggerheads have large heads and strong powerful jaws that they use for crushing prey. As omnivores, loggerheads eat a variety of sea creatures. The type of food they eat depends on their location in the ocean.

Where Do Loggerhead Turtles Live and Breed and What Do They Eat?

Young juvenile turtles float in the open ocean, feeding floating foods: mats of Sargassum (a type of seaweed), jellyfish, and algae. Adults and older juveniles live closer to the coast and their diet is more varied and includes clams, lobster, muscles, horseshoe crabs, and sponges.

Loggerhead turtles live worldwide throughout the temperate and tropical regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Adult loggerhead turtles migrate far distance between their feeding areas and nesting beaches, some as far as 4,800 kilometers. Loggerhead turtles travel to warm water near the equator to avoid the cold winter temperatures.

In the early summer months, loggerhead turtles begin mating. Adult female turtles return to the same beach each year to build a nest and lay her eggs. Male turtles never leave the ocean. A female will lay eggs every 12-17 days during the breeding season and will lay between 110 and 130 eggs in each nest. Once incubated, the hatchling sea turtles emerge from the nest and scramble towards the water, trying to avoid predators such as sea birds, raccoons, crabs, and other hungry beach dwellers.

What are Some Threats to the Loggerhead Population?

Despite their large numbers, the loggerhead turtle population is declining due to human impacts. The greatest threat to loggerheads is commercial fishing gear. Turtles can get caught in gillnets, longlines, shrimp trawls, and traps. Other threats include development along coasts, pollutants such as oil and pesticides, and nest disturbance by humans and other animals.




Research Links Related to Loggerhead Turtle:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Sponsored by:
NASA logoNational Aeronautics and
Space Administration

(NASA Award NCC5433)
NOAA logoNational Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration

(NOAA Award NA06SEC4690006)

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