South Carolina’s state reptile, and the state saltwater reptile of Florida, Loggerhead Turtles are found throughout the world’s oceans and seas. Inhabiting estuaries and a number of saltwater habitats, these turtles were named for their heads, which are quite large in proportion to the rest of their bodies. With a natural life expectancy of almost seventy years, these amazing creatures are both beautiful to see and fun to watch as they consume a wide variety of their favorite foods. While they can dive to a depth of about 150 meters and remain submerged for an incredible seven hours or so, they are often encountered in much shallower water where food is abundant.
Diving With Loggerhead Turtles
A bit smaller than the leatherback turtle, the loggerhead usually measures about 36 inches from tip to tail, and its average weight is about 300 pounds. The largest loggerhead turtles recorded to date, though, have come in at around 1,000 pounds. With thick crushing jaws that enable them to consume mollusks and other creatures, including bottom-dwelling invertebrates that are exempt from being eaten by most other predators, loggerheads have pale yellow to brown skin and reddish brown shells. Scientists have discovered that loggerheads have a tendency to hybridize with other sea turtles, including Hawksbill and Green Sea Turtles, and even more interestingly, some of the hybrids produced are fertile.
While you can find loggerhead turtles in many places during warm weather, they are not capable of withstanding cold temperatures and are cold-stunned easily, so when temperatures start to cool, they head for destinations a little closer to the equator. They prefer warm water, with optimal temperatures being between 56 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit for feeding, and between 81 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit for nesting. Named as an endangered species on IUCN’s Red List, these turtles nest in a number of different places across the globe; nests and hatchlings are threatened by predators and human encroachment in many places, while some nesting areas are fiercely protected by wildlife conservation groups.
In the Atlantic Ocean, you’ll find the greatest concentration of Loggerhead Sea Turtles throughout the Gulf of Mexico and along the southeastern coast of the US, as well as into Canada, where they feed during the summer months. The turtles build almost 70,000 nests in Florida each year, and nest in places as far north as Virginia and as far south as Brazil. They also nest as far east as the Republic of Cape Verde, which is 400 miles west of the African Coast.
In the Indian Ocean, the turtles can be found throughout Western Australia, in South Africa, Mozambique, and the Arabian Peninsula; in Oman, more than 15,000 nests are recorded annually.
In the Pacific, you’ll find loggerheads throughout tropical and temperate regions alike particularly along the Great Barrier Reef, in Vanuatu, Yakushima, and all along the Baja California Peninsula, up into the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. These turtles are known to travel incredible distances to nest; in 1996, a female called Adelita was tracked as she made a 9,000 mile trip from Mexico to her natal beach in Japan.
In the Mediterranean, you’ll find turtles along the Greek coastline, as well as throughout Cyprus and Turkey. Over 3,000 nests are recorded in Greece each year, and Greek authorities do an outstanding job of protecting the population, not even allowing planes to take off and land at night near the beach where the turtles nest.
Slow to mature, and reaching breeding age between 17 and 33 years old, Loggerhead Turtles have only a few natural predators, and like most turtles, their main threats come from human activity. Thanks to such innovations as Turtle Excluder Devices, they are less at risk now than they once were from being drowned as bycatch, yet they and their eggs are still eaten in many places, plus they often die after consuming plastic garbage mistaken as prey. By paying close attention to conservation, however, it is hoped that the world community can help bring their numbers back to higher, more sustainable levels.