Loggerhead Turtle

Loggerhead turtles are just as massive as they are magnificent.  Adults can grow as large as 8 feet and 450 Ibs.  Sea turtles are identified by their shell patterns which are formed by three sets of plates: 1) central plates- the plates that run down the center of the shell,  2) costal plates- these plates run parallel to the central plates on their side,  3)  bordering plates- small plates on the shell's edge, and finally, the front center bordering plate is known as the nuchal.  Loggerhead turtles have five costal plates, two of which touch the nuchal.  Atlantic ridley turtles have the same shell pattern but can be distinguished by their smaller bodies and olive-green to gray shells.  Loggerheads, on the other hand, have thick heads and reddish brown shells.

The scientific name for the loggerhead turtle is Caretta caretta and it belongs to the phylum Chordata and class Reptilia.  Reptiles are a diverse class containing turtles, alligators, crocodilles, lizards, and snakes.  All reptiles breath air, lay eggs, have scales, and are ectotherms.  The order Testudines, or turtles, is characterized by a hard shell that surrounds the body of the organism.  The shell is composed of two parts: one, the carapace, or the top shell and two, the plastron, or the bottom shell.  The two are joined together by another piece of the shell called the bridge.

The loggerhead turtle is a circumglobal organism found in temperate, subtropical, and tropical waters.  In the Atlantic, loggerheads have been seen has far north as Canada and as far south as Argentina.  The largest Atlantic population of loggerhead turtles are found in Florida.  These creatures more specifically inhabit offshore reefs, bays, inshore lagoons, and estuaries.  The loggerhead turtle is omnivorous mainly feeding on sponges, small crustaceans, molluscs, various fish, jellyfish, seagrass, and seaweeds.

The life cycle and history of these turtles are fascinating.  Loggerhead turtles can live upwards of 50 plus years.  Additionally, these creatures don't reach sexual maturity until they are 20 to 35 years old.  Mating itself occurs at sea but like all sea turtles, loggerheads lay their eggs on land.  In the spring and summer, female loggerhead turtles arrive during the night on mainly Florida beaches to lay their eggs.  They dig holes with their fins, deposit the eggs, bury them, and return to the ocean.  Females lay between 100-120 eggs and may repeat this process two to four times a season.  Eggs require around two months to hatch.

Loggerheads can often be found under reef ledges napping

Since the 1970's, loggerhead turtles have been considered by both the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as threatened.  Due to a recovery plan put in place by these organizations, loggerhead turtles have increased in recent years.  The main cause for the turtles decline and placement on the threatened species list is due to costal development, pollution, and by-catch in fishing trawlers.  Since loggerhead turtles have such as slow life cycle, these organisms need to be constantly monitored to make sure the population is healthy.

References: Humann, Paul, and Ned DeLoach. Reef Fish Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas. Jacksonville, FL: New World Publications, 2002. Print.; "Carett Carett." Smithsonian Marine Station (SMS) at Fort Pierce. Web. 21 Jan. 2011. <http://www.sms.si.edu/IRLSpec/Carett_carett.htm>.