The Loggerhead Sea Turtle

1. The Loggerhead Sea Turtle By: Amber Norton

2. Habitat • The Loggerhead Sea Turtle is widely distributed within its range. It may be found hundreds of miles out to sea, as well as inshore areas such as bays, lagoons, salts marshes, creeks, ship channels, and the mouth of large rivers.

3. Environment • The loggerheadturtle nests further from the tropics than any other marine turtle is found in temperate and subtropical waters of the Golf of Mexico, the Florida Keys and north along the eastern seaboard as far as New England.

4. Reproduction & Developement • From laying to hatching, the United States nesting season runs from about May to November. Nesting takes place nocturnally and at 2-to-3-year intervals. Three of four clutches may be laid in a season at intervals of approximately 12 days. Clutch size averages around 115 eggs with incubation requiring 49 to 68 days, about 55 days being average. The hatchlings generally emerge at night. Limited information indicates that turtles reach sexual maturity in 12 to 30.

5. Description

6. The loggerhead turtle is the most commonly found sea turtle along Florida’s coastal waters. This reddish-brown turtle is named for its large head which is the largest of all sea turtles.(10 inches wide) Powerful jaw muscles allow the loggerhead to crush heavy-shelled clams, crustaceans, and encrusting animals attached to rocks and reefs. The shell is very thick, particularly toward the back, which may serve as protection from sharks that occasionally prey on this relatively slow swimmer. It is estimated that loggerhead

7. Reproduction • They reproduce yearly, and come back to the same beach each year. It takes 6-8 months for the eggs to hatch.

9. Diet • Subadult loggerheads primarily feed upon bottom dwelling invertebrates. Loggerheads sometimes scavenge fish or fish parts, but they are not considered fish eaters.