Atlantic Loggerhead Turtle
Caretta caretta

Physical Appearance Distribution and Habitat Feeding Habits Reproduction Current Status and Threats Conservation Sea Turtle Links

Physical Appearance
The amazing Atlantic loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) can have a shell as long as 2.7 m (9 ft) and weigh 454 kg (1,000 lbs.)!! However, on average the loggerhead turtle is 90 cm (3 ft) long and 136 kg (300lbs) in weight.Loggerheads have large heads because they have large jaw closing muscles, allowing them to have an extremely powerful and crushing bite. They are reddish-brown in colour with olive and yellow colour tinges on their body and shell.

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Distribution and Habitat
Atlantic loggerheads are found in the Atlantic Ocean from Argentina to Nova Scotia. In North America, the largest populations are found on barrier islands from North Carolina to the Florida Keys. In the winter these Florida loggerheads migrate to the Bahamas. On barrier islands off of the Texas coast a small population of the Atlantic loggerheads can also found. There is another subspecies of Caretta caretta, called C. caretta gigas, found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Loggerheads are found in temperate and tropical coastal habitats and are sometimes even found in freshwater streams and rivers. The majority of their time is spent in the open ocean, but females do visit undisturbed beaches for nesting. Atlantic loggerheads travel long distances along the coast, but move to the open ocean to sleep. They just don't feel safe sleeping near the shore.

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Feeding Habits
These sea turtles are mainly carnivores and eat sponges, jellyfish, mussels, clams, oysters, shrimp, and horseshoe crabs. It is the powerful jaws of loggerheads that allow them to easily crush the hard shells of their prey. Loggerheads can actually come in contact with the deadly tentacles of the Portuguese-man-of-war and remain unharmed!

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Reproduction
C. caretta reach sexual maturity when their shells are at least 50 cm in length. Loggerheads migrate to nesting sites by following vegetation laden ocean currents. Loggerheads nest the furthest north of all the sea turtles, as far as North Carolina. All of the nesting sites are found either north of the Tropic of Cancer or south of the Tropic of Capricorn with exception of western Caribbean populations. Loggerheads used to nest on beaches from Virginia to the Gulf Coast, but habitat loss resulting from human development, restricted their nesting sites to the coast of Delaware, and such places as Costa Rica and Cuba.

Mating occurs in surface waters offshore from the nesting beaches. In the spring and summer female loggerheads come ashore at night, in the flood of spring tides, to lay their eggs. The nest site she chooses is usually an undisturbed, well-drained dune or grassy area. She uses all four of her flippers and her snout in the initial nest building, but uses only her hind flippers for majority of the nest digging. Once the hole is dug she lays up to 120 eggs, which are 40-42 mm in diameter, and covers the nest with her hind flippers. A female loggerhead turtle usually lays 3-4 nests per season with a gap of 14 days between nest building. A single female will only nest every second or third year.

The eggs incubate for 31-65 days and usually all the eggs hatch around the same time. The hatchlings must move quickly from their nest to the ocean to avoid the numerous hungry predators awaiting them on the beach. Hatchlings avoid some predation by hatching and moving to the ocean at night. Baby turtles can find their way to the sea by heading towards the light because the ocean is the brightest source of light at night. The ones that make it safely to ocean will be leaving behind their only terrestrial life stage. In fact, most male sea turtles will never set a flipper on land again in their lifetime!

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Current Status and Threats

Atlantic loggerhead turtles are considered threatened in the United States. The largest population, of about 15,0000 loggerhead turtles, is in the Greater Antilles and the eastern United States. However, the Carolinas record a three percent decrease in the occurrence of C. caretta each year. Here are some reasons for their declining populations:

Habitat Loss due to human coastal development is one of the main reasons for their declining numbers. In fact, the nesting habitat of all species of sea turtles is disturbed or destroyed by humans.
Pollution from human garbage and effluents can have devastating effects on sea turtles. Garbage, such as plastics bags, can be mistaken by a sea turtle for a jellyfish and eating plastic is deadly because it can suffocate the turtles or the plastic can get stuck in their digestive tract.
Accidental Capture in Shrimp Trawls and Fishing Lines
Nest Robbing by humans and predators, such as raccoons, make the life of a sea turtle difficult before they are even born.
Artificial Light on coasts from cities cause disorientation of nesting females and hatchlings trying to find their way to the sea.

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Conservation
So what is being down to help protect the declining loggerhead sea turtle populations!
Legal Protection in many countries have banned the import or export of sea turtle products - a result of their endangered or threatened status. It is illegal in many countries to kill adult sea turtles or collect their eggs.
Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) are modifications on shrimp trawls to prevent the loggerhead sea turtles from getting trapped and drowning in shrimp nets. TEDs are modifications made to shrimp nets that act like turtle escape hatches.
Nesting Site Protection in many countries, including the United States, Mexico and Costa Rica, protect beaches where sea turtles traditionally nest within national parks.
Lights Being Turned Off by some resort owners near the ocean. Turning off resort lights helps hatchlings so they won't get confused and go toward the wrong source of light and become stranded high above the sea!

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Sea Turtle Links
For more information on sea turtles check out these links:

WWF Loggerhead turtle page

Georgia Loggerhead Sea Turtle tracking project

Links to Sea Turtle satellite tracking projects on the web

Questions and Answers about Marine Reptiles

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