Loggerhead Sea Turtle
By: Milena Hernandez
Description
- The reason they are called Loggerhead Sea turtles is because of their overly large heads and sharp beaks that are that are thicker than other sea turtles.
- They are also called Caretta caretta.
- They can swim through the water as fast as 24 kph.
- A female loggerhead tracked at sea made up to 500 dives in 12hrs getting air
Habitat
- Loggerhead sea turtles are found in coastal tropical and subtropical waters often extending to temperate waters in search of food.
- The highest populations in North America are found on barrier islands from North Carolina to the Florida Keys.
- Hatchling habitat is primarily in warm ocean currents among flotsam such as Sargassum (like seaweed).
Feeding
- They are carnivorous most of their life.
- Hatchlings often eat sponges, jellyfishes, sargassum weed, small gastropods and crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill, woodlice and barnacles).
- Juveniles, sub-adults and adults feed on conch, clams, horseshoe crab and crustaceans
- They have powerful jaws that let them easily crush the hard shells of their prey
- During migration through the open sea, loggerheads eat jellyfishes, pteropods, floating mollusks, floating egg clusters, squids and flying fishes.
Nesting
- Female sea turtles leave the ocean only to lay eggs
- A female nests every two to three years
- When the last egg is laid the turtle covers them up to erase any signs of the nest
- The eggs take about 2 months to hatch
- The light reflected off the water guides the turtle to sea
Endangered
- The loggerhead sea turtles are listed as endangered.
- Much money is paid for their meat and eggs, which are used to make turtle burgers and turtle soup and the eggs are even used to make cakes
- Eating a sea turtle could cause death though
- Most of the turtles die by being caught in shrimp nets