Everything about The Loggerhead Sea Turtle totally explained
The
Loggerhead Sea Turtle (
Caretta caretta) is a
sea turtle and the only member of the genus
Caretta. The genus name "Caretta" is a
latinization of the
French "caret", meaning turtle, tortoise, or sea turtle. A loggerhead sea turtle reportedly grows up to 800 lbs (364 kg) and 3.5 feet long. Their shell color is a reddish brown color, and the color of their skin is brown yellow.
Ecology and life history
Trophic ecology
The species feeds on
mollusks,
crustaceans,
fish,
jellyfish, and other small to medium-size marine animals, which they crush with their large and powerful jaws. As with other
sea turtles, females return to lay their eggs on or near the same beach where they hatched. Unlike other sea turtles, courtship and mating usually don't take place near the nesting beach, but rather along the migration routes between feeding and breeding grounds.
Life history
In the
Mediterranean, Loggerheads mate from late March to early June. The female nesting season is at its peak in June and July, but this depends on the nesting beach. The clutch may vary from 100 to 126 eggs. Each egg is roughly the size and shape of a golf ball. The average interval between nesting seasons is two to three years.
Loggerheads are the most common sea turtle to nest in the
United States. With the largest concentration of nests in south
Florida, they nest from
Texas to
Virginia to North Carolina, requiring soft sandy beaches, where there's little light; although statistics collected in Florida since 1998 indicate the lowest nesting levels Florida has seen in 17 years, where nesting rates have declined from 85,988 nests in 1998 to approximately 45,084 in 2007.
After approximately 60 days, the hatchlings emerge usually at night when protection from predation is greater. Usually following the brightest light to the ocean's edge, an artificial light, such as from a home can lead them astray. Once in the ocean they use
ocean currents to travel to the
Sargasso Sea using the
Sargassum as protection until they mature.
An alternative to migration for many loggerheads is
hibernation to varying degrees as the water cools. By February they're submerged for up to seven hours at a time, emerging for only seven minutes to recover. Although outdone by
freshwater turtles, these are the longest recorded dives for any air-breathing marine
vertebrate.
Most loggerheads that reach adulthood live for longer than 30 years, and can often live past 200 years. They are immune to the toxins of a
Portuguese Man O' War as the turtles have often been seen feeding on them.
Etymology and taxonomic history
Two subspecies are recognized:
Caretta caretta gigas, is found in the
Indian and
Pacific Oceans, and
C. caretta caretta, the
Atlantic loggerhead, also found in south Italy and the Greek islands of
Zakynthos,
Kefalonia, Crete and the Peloponese and in
Dalyan in southwestern
Turkey. (see article;
June Haimoff).
Importance to humans
Loggerhead Sea Turtles were once intensively hunted for their
meat and
eggs, along with their
fat which was used in
cosmetics and
medication. The Loggerhead Sea Turtles were also killed for their
shells, which are used to make items such as
combs. As a result both subspecies are now internationally protected.
Conservation
Today the main threat to the adult loggerheads lies in shrimp trawls and crab
fishing nets, to which many loggerheads annually fall victim. Furthermore, adults are often injured by speedboat propellers and by swallowing fishing hooks or getting caught in nets. Internationally
animal protection organizations take pains to monitor and protect the turtles' nesting grounds in
Turkey,
Greece,
Bonaire and
Costa Rica. The turtles can also be found around the Italian islands of
Lampedusa and
Linosa, off the coast of Sicily, and in
Calabria, where it's particularly endangered. Furthermore, the turtles are known to nest on the beaches of the Northern part of Cyprus, especially Alagadi Beach.
In many places during the nesting season workers search the coastline to find evidence of nests. Once found a nest will be uncovered and the eggs carefully counted, if the nest is dangerously located the eggs will be moved to a better spot. Plastic fencing will be placed at or near the surface to protect the eggs from large predators such as
raccoons or even dogs. The barrier used is large enough to allow the hatchlings to emerge without difficulty. The nests are checked daily for disturbances, several days after there's indication that the eggs have hatched the nest will be uncovered and the tally of hatched eggs, undeveloped eggs, and dead hatchlings will be recorded. If any hatchlings are found, they're either taken to be raised and released, or taken to research facilities. Ones that appear strong and healthy may instead be released to the ocean. Typically those that lacked the strength to hatch and climb to the surface by that point would have died otherwise.
Hatchlings require the travel from their nest to the ocean in order to build up strength for the journey ahead, so interfering by helping it to the ocean actually lowers their chances of survival.
Further Information
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