Loggerhead Sea Turtle Facts
So this magnificent sea creature is called the Logger Head Sea turtle, because it is a turtle with a big head which is also a marine animal. The loggerhead sea turtle is actually the second largest hard shelled turtle. It is first runner up to the Green Sea turtles, which of course are the largest of all the hard-shelled sea turtles.
How Big Are Logger Head Sea Turtles?
A loggerhead can have an average length of 70 - 100cm. The average weight of these slow sea gliders is 100-220kg. There however has been a weight reported of a whopping 545kg, now that is a heavy turtle! The maximum carapace length is approximately 214 cm. The carapace is actually upper shell are of the logger head.
How Do You Identify a loggerhead Sea Turtle?
Well you can always look at the pictures in this article for starters. Despite its logger head attribute the turtle is quite a charming fellow indeed. The head and caraspace of this animal is yellow-orange to reddish brown, while the plaston, which is the underside of the turtle is normally of a pale yellow look. The loggerheads neck and sides brown on the tops and yellow on the sides and bottom.
The Loggerheads are not that much of a picky eater. One thing is for sure is that they are not meal chasers. The Loggerhead turtle primarily is carnivorous and you will find it feasting shellfish that lives at the bottom of the ocean. They will gobble down clams, mussels and horseshoe crabs. They have powerful jaws that makes it easy for them to crack open shell animals.
Where in the Ocean Would you find Loggerheads?
The turtles prefer to hang out in estuaries and coastal bays. Estuaries are bodies of water and their surrounding coastal habitats typically found where rivers meet the sea. Estuaries harbor unique plant and animal communities because their waters are brackish a mixture of fresh water draining from the land and salty seawater. The loggerhead turtle also inhabits the shallow water along the continental shelves of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.
How much Little Loggerhead turtles do Loggerheads give Birth to?
The nesting interval for loggerheads are between 2-4 years. They may lay about 2 -6 nest for each nesting intervals. The loggerheads lay about 100 - 130 eggs in each nest. The eggs will incubate for approximately 55-60 days.
Loggerhead Sea Turtle Endangerment
Overfishing and poaching is always an issue when it comes on to the endangerment of marine animals. The loggerhead is no different. The loggerhead is listed as threatened by The USA. What this means that the turtle is likely to fall in the endangered list of species or worse extinct if proper measures are not put into place to prevent such a horrible situation from happening.
Threats to Survival: The greatest threat is loss of nesting habitat due to coastal development, predation of nests, and human disturbances (such as coastal lighting and housing developments) that cause disorientation during the emergence of hatchlings. Other major threats include incidental capture in long line fishing, shrimp trawling and pollution. Incidental capture in fisheries is thought to have played a significant role in the recent population declines observed for the loggerhead.
Population :It has been estimated that there are between 40,000 to 55,000 nesting females.
The loggerhead sea turtle is a simple marine animal ans does not live an adrenaline life. It is part of the ecosystem and plays its role in another branch of life on earth.