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Loggerhead Turtle

The loggerhead turtle’s powerful jaws pack a serious punch, enabling them to bite through thick-shelled prey with an effortless crunch! They primarily eat whelks, conch, and crabs.

 

Loggerhead turtles get their name from their large head, which is slightly out of proportion with their bodies. Both the shell and skin of this species is reddish-brown with a pale yellow underside, measuring up to 1 meter (3.5 feet) from head to tail. Loggerheads can be found throughout most of the world’s oceans in temperate and tropical regions.

These sea turtles are spotted nesting on sandy beaches and swimming in waters near and far from the coast. A highly migratory species, loggerheads roam the oceans far and wide. They have a mind-blowing navigational ability, enabling them to return to the beach they hatched from and nest their eggs. 

 

 

Loggerhead turtles face a wide variety of threats such as fishing activity, pollution, nest disruption, and habitat loss, leading to their classification as a vulnerable species by the IUCN Red List.  

Fishing  

Accidental entanglement in fishing gear is a main threat to these sea turtles. They also are frequently struck by vessels, both by fishing boats and other watercraft.

Nest Disruption 

While there are global efforts to protect loggerhead turtles and their nests, in some countries they are still hunted for their meat and eggs for consumption or sale. Additionally, rising global temperatures have affected nests by heating up the eggs buried beneath the sand. The higher temperatures alter the ratio of male to female sea turtles, as warmer temperatures yield female hatchlings. Higher nest temperatures can also be lethal to eggs, leading to lower numbers of hatchlings altogether. 

Pollution 

Marine pollution degrades habitats and poses as a lethal snack for loggerheads, as many sea turtles mistake floating debris for food.

 

 

Oceana works to stop three of the main threats to loggerhead sea turtles, including plastic pollution, bycatch, and climate change.  Oceana is working around the world to reduce overfishing and bycatch, protect threatened marine wildlife, and end plastic production. 

 

 

 

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