Loggerhead Sea Turtle

byJadyn Golston

Endangered Loggerhead Sea TurtlePopulation declines due to:•Pollution•Incidental capture•Shrimp trawling•Development in their nesting areas•Human disturbance

Adaptations• Processing Salt

– Eye glands that excrete high amounts of salt• Swimming and diving

– Can dive for up to 20 minutes– When resting, they can go without breathing for hours

• Eating– Eat meat, but will eat plants

• Avoiding become prey – Size– Hard Shell

Loggerhead Sea Turtle

Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: ReptiliaOrder: TestudinesFamily: CheloniidaeGenus: CarettaSpecies: caretta

Species Description• Weight– Adult: 250 pounds– Hatchling: .05 pounds

• Length– Adult: 3 feet– Hatchling: 2 inches

• Appearance– reddish-brown– slightly heart-shaped top shell with pale yellowish

bottom shell– hatchlings are brown to dark gray

• Lifespan – unknown, but thought to be over 50 years

Anatomy

Diet and Locomotion• Diet: primarily carnivores, munching

jellyfish, conchs, crabs, whelks, and even fish, but will eat seaweed

• Locomotion: fin and flipper for water and land

HabitatLoggerheads occupy three different ecosystems during their lives:•Beaches •Water •Near shore coastal areas

RangeThe Loggerhead Sea Turtle is a wide-ranging species, occurring throughout

the temperate sub-tropical and tropical regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, and

Indian Oceans.

It is the most common Sea Turtle in the U.S.

Reproduction• Females reach maturity at about 35 years of age• Mate in coastal waters • Females nest from April-September

– generally lay 3-5 nests per season about 12-14 days apart– 100-120 eggs in each nest

• Sex of hatchlings is determined by incubation temperature– Warmer temperatures result in the great majority being

females– Cooler temperatures produce mainly or only males

Enemies• Nests

– Raccoons and wild pigs dig up nests• Hatchlings

– Ghost crabs and raccoons on the beach– Birds, reef fish, and sharks in the water

• Adults– Sharks– Humans

StatusThe Loggerhead Sea Turtle was listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)

as threatened in 1978.Total estimated nesting in the U.S. is about 68,000 to 90,000 nests per year.

Behavior• Defense/Offense

– Hard shell– Powerful jaw– Lays yolk less eggs

Did you know?

Sea Turtles can move through the water at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour

Resourceswww.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org/

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/loggerhead.htm

http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=loggerhead

http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlife-library/amphibians-reptiles-and-fish/sea-turtles/loggerhead-sea-turtle.aspx

http://www.fws.gov/northflorida/seaturtles/turtle%20factsheets/loggerhead-sea-turtle.htm