Loggerhead sea turtles are essential to the ocean ecosystem. They nest on beaches from temperate to tropical latitudes and migrate offshore during their lifespan.
These species are at risk due to a range of issues, including loss of nesting sites and predators such as sharks. Worldwide, efforts are being made to conserve them.
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Adults
Adult loggerhead sea turtles are predators that feed on bottom-dwelling invertebrates, such as whelks and mollusks. Their powerful jaws allow them to crush the shells of queen conch, Caribbean spiny lobsters and other hard-shelled prey like queen conch.
Loggerhead sea turtles are migratory, traveling hundreds to thousands of kilometers from their feeding grounds to nesting beaches. These journeys take place during winter and non-nesting years and may take the turtles as far away as Japan in oceanic regions.
Turtles feed on an impressive range of foods during their migrations. This includes conchs, clams, shrimp, fish, jellyfishes, pteropods and squid.
Loggerhead sea turtles are in decline due to fishing pressure and capture by humans. Furthermore, their ocean habitat has been polluted with small fragments of plastic and other items which could entangle or harm the turtle if consumed. Thankfully, there are many people working towards protecting this iconic sea turtle species.
Juveniles
Loggerhead sea turtles are large, powerful creatures that feed on invertebrates such as fish and other bottom-dwelling marine organisms. Their jaws are capable of crushing even armored prey with ease.
Turtles nest on beaches around the world, often returning to the same beach each year. Female turtles lay 110 to 130 eggs in a nest and dig a deep trench in the sand for protection during incubation period of 49 to 58 days.
Once hatchlings leave their nesting beach, they often swim offshore to escape heavy predation in coastal waters. This period is known as their “lost years”, during which time they feed on crustaceans and other invertebrates attracted by floating seaweed. Some turtles even cross ocean currents several times during this time!
Nesting
During their breeding season (April to September), female loggerhead sea turtles lay up to 190 soft, round white eggs. They lay 4-6 nests per season at two-week intervals and incubate them for 55-62 days before hatchlings emerge.
These giant turtles are omnivores, eating a variety of invertebrates. Their powerful jaw muscles enable them to crush conchs, bivalves, horseshoe crabs, shrimp, jellyfish and sponges with ease.
The loggerhead sea turtle is an essential species that supports a range of organisms, from other sea turtles and predators, through its shell serving as calcium source for other creatures and their digestive systems returning nutrients and waste back into the ocean.
World-wide, sea turtles can be found on beaches; however, they tend to congregate around tropical waters. Females often return home to the same beach they were born on (known as site fidelity), which could be seen as a protective mechanism against pregnancy-related stress.
Migration
Loggerhead sea turtles embark on an arduous migration, from nesting beaches to feeding grounds in the open ocean and back again. This epic journey may cover thousands of miles and take up to two decades for them to complete.
Loggerhead sea turtles feed on a variety of fish and invertebrates during their migration. These include squid, shrimp, octopus, mollusks, crabs and other bottom-dwelling organisms.
In addition to habitat destruction, loggerheads face the potential risk of entanglement in fishing equipment like longlines and drift gill nets. These nets can entangle loggerheads and result in their death.
We used satellite tracking and bathymetric data to identify migration corridors for adult female loggerhead turtles. We identified two such routes: one through the eastern Gulf of Mexico and another via Florida Straits into the Bahamas (Figure 2).
