Loggerhead Sea Turtle

Loggerhead Sea Turtle Facts

Size	Up to 4 ft (1.2 m)
Speed	Up to 18 mph (30 km/h) (in the water)
Weight	Up to 242 lb (110 kg)
Lifespan	30-60 years
Food	Crabs, jellyfish, urchins, seaweed, cephalopods
Predators	Bears, foxes, jackals, raccoons, dogs, crows
Habitat	Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans
Class	Reptiles
Order	Turtles
Family	Sea turtles
Scientific name	Caretta caretta
Characteristics	One of the most popular sea turtles

Main Characteristics

The loggerhead turtle is one out of seven sea turtles species. These include: the Atlantic green sea turtle, the Pacific green turtle, the hawksbill turtle, the flatback sea turtle, the Kemp's ridley turtle, the Olive ridley sea turtle and the loggerhead sea turtle.

Life Style

What Do Loggerhead Turtles Do All Day Long?

Loggerhead sea turtles swim thousands of kilometers through the oceans. Yet, about 15-20 years after having been born they keep returning to the same beach for mating again and again. In the wild, the turtles can reach an age of up to 62 years.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle Loggerhead Sea Turtle - Photo: Matteo photos/Shutterstock

Senses and Abilities

Longest Migration of a Turtle

This turtle never gets tired! In 1996, the loggerhead sea turtle Adelita swam a distance of more than 9,000 miles (14,500 km) from Mexico via Hawaii to Japan. This was the first time, the route of an animal across an entire ocean has been tracked by means of an electronic transmitter. The turtle swam at a speed of about 1.6 km/h and it took her nearly a year to cover the distance.

Loggerhead Turtles Have a Magnetic Sense

Loggerhead sea turtles have a kind of "magnetic map” in their heads. This helps them to never get lost and always find the way back to their place of birth.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle Loggerhead Sea Turtle - Photo: Matteo photos/Shutterstock

Anatomy and Appearance

Biggest Hard Shell

The largest turtle with a hard shell is the loggerhead sea turtle. It can be up to 3.9 feet (1.2 meters) long.

Reproduction

The young turtles hatch from a large sand nest of up to 120 eggs at night. As soon as they have got rid of their eggs, which are just measuring 1.5 inch (4 cm), they wander off into the sea. But how do they find their way in the dark from a large sandy hollow after just having come into the world? They use the moon for orientation. The light of the moon gets refracted in the water and thus generates a big light source. The little turtles simply run up to it.